New Beginning
by Sigma Creations
Summary: Short chapter about Ruth and Harry saying goodbye at the docks and life for them afterwards. Loosely follows Spooks plot. All characters belong to Kudos. Continuation from either of my other stories: Havensworth or Take a Chance
1. Saying Goodbye

She heard someone approaching and turned, expecting it to be Adam, but her eyes fell on the one person she'd half-hoped, half-feared would come. Harry.

"I told Adam not to tell you," she said with a sad smile.

"I told him I'd give him the sack if he didn't," he replied.

Harry slowly walked up to Ruth on the dock and stopped right in front of her. The sadness in his eyes took her breath away. She couldn't believe that it was only the day before yesterday that they'd spent the night together. And now, they would be saying goodbye forever.

"I don't know what I'll do without you, Ruth," Harry sighed. "What are you-?"

Ruth shook her head. She couldn't tell him where she was going; she hardly knew herself.

"You take good care, yes?" Harry said.

"Yes. And you. Don't get shot," she smiled in an effort to make light of the situation they now found themselves in.

Harry smiled briefly at her attempt at humour and replied, "I won't."

"And, um, can you feed my cats?" Ruth asked. "Actually, take them to your house. Will you adopt them?"

"Of course," he chuckled.

They looked into each other's eyes for a long time. There was so much pain and regret over what was and what could have been. She couldn't do this any longer; it was agony.

"Goodbye, Harry," she said.

"Goodbye, Ruth," he replied.

Ruth looked down. How could she bear this? She knew why she'd done it. She'd sacrificed herself to save him, and she knew that she'd do it again in a heartbeat if she had to. She would no longer be able to return to her home or her country. She was officially dead. That part was hard enough, but to never see Harry again? That was heartbreaking.

* * *

><p><em>Ruth began to move away from him to get on the boat. This was torture. He could feel his heart being ripped to pieces. "Ruth," he murmured, blocking her way to the tugboat.<em>

_"Harry," she said, "please, don't."_

_"Come on," came a loud voice from the boat._

_"I'm coming," Ruth called back. "Please, don't say anything. Leave it as something that was never said. Okay?" she pleaded. Her hands were cupping his face now. Gently caressing his cheeks. _"_Something wonderful that was never said," she whispered._

_She brought her lips to his and kissed him, and he could feel all the love that she felt for him in that kiss. His breathing was heavy as he kissed her back, his heart overflowing with love for her. He did not trust himself to touch her in case he lost his self-control and did something stupid that would put her in danger. There was no way to save her, to stop her from doing this to protect him; no way to hold onto her and never let her go, like he so desperately wanted to. He closed his eyes and tried to brand this last kiss into his memory forever._

"_Let me go, Harry," she whispered against his lips._

_She gave him one last, brief kiss and walked away. He took a moment to compose himself, and when he turned around, she was already on the tugboat looking at him with eyes full of sadness and love as it began to pull away from the dock. He swallowed hard and watched her leave as the boat moved down the Themes. And just like that, she was gone, taking his heart with her and leaving him completely empty inside._

* * *

><p><em><strong>Nine months later<strong>_

Ruth was looking down at her infant son as he slept cradled in her arms. Her heart was overflowing with love for this tiny person who had come into this world just one week ago. He was strong and so beautiful. His name was Peter, Peter Harry Evershed. Well, technically his name was Peter Harry Eaves, just as hers was Anne Ruth Eaves, but she still thought of herself and Peter as Eversheds. She looked up at George, who was reading a book nearby. She was happy with her life in Cyprus. It was so wonderful to have a life outside work; to be able to do her job well, and at the end of the day, to come home or go out. Gone were the days of working day and night in a dangerous job, where everything was frequently on the line. She wondered what life would have been like for her had she stayed in London. Would she still be working for MI-5? Would she still be with Harry? She was able to admit now that it was unlikely. They would have been torn apart by Mace and others, who would not hesitate to use her as a weapon against Harry. She didn't think she would have been strong enough to fight for them. She would have backed down to save Harry, and now, Peter. She often thought about Harry, wondering how he was and what he was doing, and she knew that no matter what happened, he would always have a place in her heart.

* * *

><p><em>He missed Ruth. He realized that he would always miss her. Sometimes he would picture her sitting at her desk, working on some research or talking on the phone. At work, he missed her presence, but, most of all, he missed the moral guidance and grounding that she had always provided for him. Without her, he felt a little lost, off-balance, and isolated.<em>

_At other times, he would see her sleeping next to him, comfortable, relaxed, and beautiful as she had been the one time they'd shared a bed. And then there were the times when he was alone, and his mind would drift back to the night when she'd made passionate love to him. _

_He had been tempted to look her up and find out where she was and what she was doing. However, he didn't trust himself with that information, and in the end, he'd asked Malcolm to do it and let him know if she was okay. Nothing more. He had to be content with knowing that she was safe. _

_He sighed, and with some effort, shifted his thoughts back to work._


	2. Cyprus

_**Three and a half years later**_

Ruth watched through the kitchen window as the children ran around the garden, and a happy smile spread across her face. She heard the door open and felt George come up behind her. He embraced her, and she lent against him as he kissed her cheek.

"They're having a good time," Ruth said.

"They always do," George smiled.

They stood there enjoying the scene before them. Maria and Anna, George's nieces, were holding hands and spinning round and round in circles, going faster and faster until they lost their balance and tumbled over into the grass. Peter was watching them and began laughing so hard at the sight of them staggering around when they tried to get up, that he fell over. Andreas and Yiannis, George's nephews, were jumping into the pool trying to make a large enough splash to wet their mother and aunt, who were lounging in the chairs by the pool.

"I'd better get back to the barbecue before the meat burns," George said and planted another kiss on her cheek before he released her.

Ruth sighed happily, picked up the tray with the lemonade she had made, and followed him back out into the sunshine to enjoy their family get together.

Later that evening, after Peter had gone to bed and she had cleaned up the kitchen, Ruth was sitting out on her back porch with a glass of wine in her hand and a good book. She was waiting for George to get back from driving his sister and the boys home. Dimitri, his brother-in-law, had taken their car on a business trip, and George had offered to drive them home, so they didn't have to get a taxi. Ruth didn't feel like reading tonight. She looked up at the stars and let her thoughts wonder.

She loved having George's sisters and their children round. It was lovely to have family to entertain. She was an only child, well apart from her step-brother, and she had always longed for a family. Her nephews and nieces were good kids, a bit loud like most Cypriot children, but very kind hearted. They were all older than Peter, but he always loved trying to keep up with them, and they were very kind to him, especially Maria.

Peter was three now. She couldn't believe how quickly the time had passed. She could still remember arriving in Cyprus all those years ago. She had been moving about every few days for some weeks, making sure that she was not been followed like the good spook that she was. When she'd arrived in Polis, she'd loved it, and having decided that it was safe for her to stay, she'd rented a flat in the centre of town. She'd looked around for employment and got lucky when she found the position at the hospital. They had employed her on a trial basis, as she'd claimed that she suffered from amnesia and could not remember much about her past. Of course, she had dazzled them with her organization skills, and they were more than happy to keep her on a more permanent basis.

It was just after she had started work that she had discovered she was pregnant. It had been quite a shock. She had used four pregnancy tests to make sure that she wasn't mistaken. Once the surprise had worn off, however, she'd felt deliriously happy. A baby. She was going to have a baby. Harry's baby. All the sorrow and anxiety of the past weeks had seemed to melt away, and she'd found new joy in her life, and a new determination to make it as good as possible for herself and her son or daughter.

George was a doctor that she'd met at work. He had immediately shown an interest in her, and after several weeks of flirting with her, he'd asked her out. She'd agreed in an effort to force herself to move on and accept that Harry was never going to be part of her life again. They'd gone out to dinner a few times, and she liked him. After a few evenings in his company, she knew she'd have to tell him about her pregnancy. He'd taken it in stride, and they had continued to see each other, eventually moving in together before Peter was born. The following year, they'd bought their house and they were happy. She loved George in her own way. She knew that she would never sacrifice herself for George, like she'd done for Harry. Her love for Harry was all consuming and passionate, but her love for George was gentle and steady. He was a good man, and he really loved her and Peter.

Sometimes she felt guilty that she hadn't shared any information about her past with George, but most of the time it didn't bother her. The fact that it didn't bother her much was actually a bigger source of unease for her. "You're a born spook, Ruth," Harry had said to her once. There he was again, entering her thoughts. He never really left them for long. She was always remembering something, or wondering how he was, and when she looked at Peter, she could see that the resemblance between father and son was very strong.

Sometimes she would dream of him. Most of the dreams were confused and scary. Only last week, she'd woken up in a cold sweat after seeing Harry tied to a chair as someone advanced on him with a syringe containing a lethal drug. She could not recall much else about the dream, but she had the feeling that Ros and Juliet were also there. She often wondered if the dreams she had were a result of Harry being in real danger. She hoped not. More than anything else, she wanted him to be safe... and happy. Occasionally, the dreams she had of him were pleasant, and she found herself in Harry's arms or in his bed while he made love to her. She treasured the memories of being with him, loving him, and feeling the extent of his love for her.

"Still up?" George said, breaking into her reverie.

"Hi," she replied. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Thinking too hard again," he teased as he took the seat next to her.

"Would you like some wine?" she asked.

"Yes, please," he replied.

She got up, went into the kitchen, and came back with a glass and the wine bottle. She poured some wine and handed the glass to George before topping up her own glass.

"Thanks," he said.

Ruth sat down and they both sipped their wine in silence.

"How are you today?" George asked presently.

"Fine," Ruth replied. "I had a good time with your sisters."

"I'm glad," George said, "but you know that, that's not what I meant."

She turned to look at George. His eyes were full of concern for her. One year ago today, she's suffered a miscarriage, and she knew that he'd organized this family get together in order to help them deal with this sad anniversary. Her eyes softened and she looked at him with tenderness as she said, "I _am_ fine, George. _Really_. But what about you? Are you all right?"

"Yes," he reassured her. "We still have Peter. I'm happy with our family."

"You are a very kind man, George," she said as she lent over and kissed him.

"I love you, Ruth," he whispered, when they broke apart, and taking her hand in his, he got up and led her upstairs.


	3. Back in England

_**Three years later**_

Today was the first anniversary of George's death and Ruth was having trouble focusing on her work at the real estate agency where she worked now. She sighed, got up, and after putting on her coat, she headed toward the door.

"I'll just take the mail," she said to her colleague, picking up the stack of envelopes from her desk.

"Okay. Are you stopping at the coffee shop?" her colleague, Rachel, asked.

"Yes," Ruth smiled. "The usual?"

"Yup," Rachel answered with a grin.

Ruth opened the door and strolled down the street toward the post office. The fresh air did her good. Her mind drifted back to the day she'd returned to England, just over a year ago. She'd managed to escape a kidnapping in Cyprus, only to walk right into the open arms of the kidnappers here in England. She'd arrived and sought the protection of MI-5 for herself, George, and Peter. Unfortunately, however, the men who were after them had already kidnapped Harry, and were looking for some Uranium that Harry was safeguarding. He'd told Ruth where it was hidden, so they had come after her as well. The kidnappers were a CIA operative, an MI-6 agent, and a former Indian Intelligence Officer, so they had a lot of resources and information available to them, and it hadn't taken them long to find Ruth and her family. Ruth had tried to cooperate by telling them the location of the Uranium in order to save her loved ones, however, the sample was not where she said it was. Harry had moved it, and so they had executed George. She could still see in her minds eye how his body had hit the ground after they shot him, and she was still struggling with the guilt she felt over his death. He was dead because he'd been with her, and she had never even told him who she was; she had never given him the choice, the chance to walk away.

Harry had not revealed the location of the Uranium even when they'd threatened her son. She knew why Harry had not done it, of course. His job was to protect the majority even if it meant sacrificing a few individuals for the greater good. She had always admired him for his ability to do that, but on that day, she'd hated him for it. She was desperate to save them both, but especially Peter.

In the end, it was Malcolm who'd saved Peter. He'd talked the assassin out of hurting the boy. Malcolm visited them often now. In fact, he was coming round to see them this evening. He'd remembered the anniversary of George's death and had, very kindly, invited himself over.

Ruth finished her errands and went back to work. After work, she picked up Peter from school and they headed home together. Peter chatted away about school while Ruth listened, grateful for the distraction he provided until they got home. They just had time to finish Peter's homework before Malcolm arrived very punctually, as usual. Peter was thrilled to see him and they played board games happily together while Ruth cooked. They had their dinner, and at about eight o'clock, Peter said goodnight and she took him upstairs to bed. When Ruth came back downstairs, she found Malcolm looking through a photo album.

"So how are you, Malcolm?" she asked, sitting down across from him in an armchair.

"Oh, you know, the usual," he relied, looking up from the album. "How are you today, Ruth?"

"I'm fine," she said. "I thought it would be harder than it actually is. I miss him. He was a good man, and we had a good life together in Cyprus." She paused and gazed at the photograph she had of George on the piano, lost in her memories.

Malcolm noticed her eyes becoming over bright with unshed tears, and he reached over and rubbed her shoulder soothingly. "It's hard for those of us who are left behind," he murmured, thinking of all the colleagues they had lost over the years and especially Colin. "At least, he didn't know it was coming, and he probably didn't feel a thing."

Ruth nodded and blinked back the tears as she cleared her throat and said, "Thanks for coming round, Malcolm. It means a lot. Peter loves it when you visit. I do too, of course, but Peter really misses having a father around. It's hardest for him."

"It's my pleasure, Ruth. He's a lot of fun and a good lad," he replied with a crooked smile. Then he hesitated and said, "He's a lot like his father, don't you think?"

Alarmed, Ruth glanced up at him, and as their eyes met, she realized that Malcolm knew the truth. "Malcolm?" she whispered, her face suddenly pale.

"Don't worry," he reassured her. "Your secret's safe with me."

"How did you know?" she croaked, still a little dazed.

"I spend a lot of time with you both. He's the right age, and he looks very much like him," Malcolm said simply.

"Do you think he knows?" Ruth asked and Malcolm could hear the fear in her voice.

"No," he said firmly. Then he was quiet for a few moments before he added uncertainly, "but..."

"Yes?" Ruth held her breath.

"Well, it's none of my business really," he began again, "but, don't you think he deserves to know?"

Ruth lent back into the armchair, and her face was troubled as she sighed, "I don't know, Malcolm. I have debates with myself about this every day. It is not a simple decision for me. He does deserve to know, of course he does. But I still can't get the image out of my head of him refusing to give up the location of the Uranium in order to save Peter. I have to protect Peter. If he knew the truth, others would learn it too, and then Peter would never be safe. Besides Harry and I have a complicated relationship."

"I understand," Malcolm relied, nodding slowly.

There were a few moment's silence between them as they both got lost in their thoughts.

"Malcolm?" Ruth said tentatively. "Would you do something for me?"

"Anything," he smiled.

"If something were to happen to me," she began, "would you give Harry a letter from me and explain the situation to him? It would mean a lot to me to know that there would be someone there for Harry and Peter."

"Of course I would, Ruth," Malcolm said solemnly, pleased to have been entrusted with such an important thing.

"Thank you," Ruth said looking very relieved and grateful.

"Well," Malcolm said as he got up, "I'd better be getting back. Thanks for dinner."

"Thanks for coming," Ruth smiled and walked him to the door, reaching up to kiss his cheek. "Good night."

"Good night, Ruth," Malcolm said, giving her a hug. "Don't worry. Everything will work itself out."

Ruth nodded gratefully and then he left. She closed and locked the door and went to the kitchen to clean up. As she washed the dishes, she went over her conversation with Malcolm in her head. She wondered how Harry was. She saw him from time to time, but not often. He was busy, of course, and the death of George still hung in the air between them when they did see each other, making everything painfully awkward. She finished the dishes, walked over to the phone, and dialled the number.

"Pearce," said a familiar voice.

"Hello, Harry," she replied with a smile. Hearing his voice always made her smile. Part of her still longed for him, and she had accepted by now that this would always be the case. She would never be able to fully move on from Harry because she still loved him. He was a unique, special man, and she admired his good qualities too deeply to forget him. Peter had to come first, however, and while Harry still worked for MI-5, she wouldn't allow herself to even consider a relationship with him, no matter how much she may long for it.

"Ruth!" he exclaimed. "This is a nice surprise."

"How are you, Harry?" she asked.

He paused and then answered, "Fine, and you?"

"I am okay," she replied. "Better than I thought I'd be."

"That's good," he said.

There was a long pause, during which her mind drifted back to the time when she'd accepted his invitation to dinner and he'd said exactly the same thing. She remembered all too well the feeling of heartfelt delight when he'd asked her, when he'd confirmed her suspicions that he was attracted to her, so attracted, in fact, that he'd dared to ask her out despite the fact that he was her boss. She needed to tell him that she'd forgiven him for what had happened with George and Peter.

* * *

><p><em>"Harry?" she said tentatively. "You do know that I don't blame you for what happened, don't you?"<em>

_He slumped back in his office chair and tried to massage the tension out of his neck with his free hand. It was so good to hear her say that, and even though he would never forgive himself for what had happened, it was good to know that she had forgiven him._

_"I'm very sorry, Ruth," he sighed, feeling the need to apologise again for hurting her. "Truly sorry. I'm sorry for everything really," he added, suddenly feeling awful for all the times when he'd let her down, when the job had got in the way of what they had together and he'd hurt her even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. _

_"Oh, no, Harry," she smiled into the phone. "I hope not everything... Good night."_

_She didn't give him a chance to reply to that before she put the phone down and the line went dead. Slowly he lowered the receiver from his ear and stared at it. Did she mean what he thought she meant? A small smile crept across his face and his heart began to beat faster. Then putting down the phone quickly, he got up and began to gather his things to go home. He would speak to Jo in the morning, he decided. If anyone could convince Ruth to come back to work, it was her._


	4. Back to MI5

**Back to MI-5**

It was strange to be back on the Grid. Part of her was thrilled about it, but the other part of her was scared. Scared for Peter mostly. She worried that coming back to this job would place him in danger again, or more likely, place her in danger. She thought of Wes and how much he'd been through because of his parents' job. She had seen him recently, quite by accident, and he had seemed fine, happy. His grandparents were taking good care of him, but she still thought about how different his life would have been if his parents had not been killed. She didn't want that for her son, and she'd made it clear to Harry, when she'd finally given in to Jo and agreed to come back, that she didn't want to be out in the field under any circumstances. She was no Fiona Carter; she was a desk spook and she needed to remain out of danger for Peter's sake.

Before starting work, she'd done her best to protect Peter. She'd hired a neighbour as a nanny and been to a lawyer to update her will. Her neighbour, Margaret, had a son of her own, and she and Ruth had become close friends. In the end, she had asked Margaret if she would be Peter's guardian in case something happened to her as she didn't think that her mother would be able to cope with bringing up Peter. Margaret had agreed readily and that had put Ruth's mind at ease. Of course, there was also Harry to consider. Ruth had found it necessary to talk to Margaret about this too as she wasn't sure what Harry might do when he found out about Peter.

Ruth looked up at Harry from where she was sitting at her desk. He was watching her and she saw a fond smile playing on his lips. She got up and went to his office to give him the new information she'd gathered on Finn Lambert. It really was good to be doing something challenging again and to feel valuable to others, especially Harry, and it was good to find that he still trusted her more than everyone else, confiding in her about the meeting in Basel.

* * *

><p><em>"Look into it," Harry said to Ruth and turned back to his computer.<em>

_She nodded and walked toward the door._

_"And Ruth?" he called after her._

_"Yes, Harry," she replied, pausing at the door._

_"It's good to have you back," Harry said without turning around._

_"It's good to be back," he heard her say as she left his office._

_He smiled. He'd missed her so much, and he found it hard to stop himself from watching her all day as she moved about the Grid. Apart from his personal feelings for Ruth, it was just so damn good to have his best analyst back. She had already dug up a huge amount of information about the terrorists they were dealing with. More than that, however, he was pleased to have someone he could trust implicitly again. He didn't realize how alone he'd felt without her. There was no one else he could trust so completely._

_Harry sighed. It was hard to start again from the beginning. He wanted to start from where they'd left off more than six years ago, but things were different now of course. There was the way that they had been reunited for one. He had stood by and let her husband be killed when it had been in his power to save him. It had been a shock to find her married, let alone to find she had a son. She'd said the boy was almost six. That would mean that she hadn't waisted much time getting over him, had she? Only a few months, and it hurt very deeply. _

_He'd met the boy a handful of times and discovered that he was a kind, open, cheerful, and friendly child. Harry liked him. He supposed that it would be hard for anyone not to like him. He rubbed his face with his hands briefly as his mind drifted back to the first time he'd seen Peter. He'd been walking Scarlet one Saturday afternoon in the park, and he'd dropped his glove. As he'd bent down to retrieve it, Scarlet had suddenly tugged on her lead, causing him to loose his grip on it. His little dog had raced off toward a boy who was kicking a ball. _

_"Scarlet," Harry had called and dashed after the dog. "Come back here."_

_Scarlet had ran up to the boy and started sniffing him. A large grin had spread across the boy's face, and he had knelt down and stroked the dog, causing a delighted Scarlet to jump up and lick his face. He'd seen the boy laugh as he'd ran up to them and picked up Scarlet's lead. _

_"Hi," the boy had said. "You have a nice dog."_

_"Thanks," he'd replied. "She likes you."_

_"My name's Peter," the boy had continued, extending his hand and smiling broadly. _

_He'd shaken hands and said, "Pleased to meet you, Peter. I'm Harry." He'd been impressed. The boy hadn't looked very old, probably about five or six, with intelligent, brown eyes, a mop of chestnut hair and dimples. He'd tried to remember what children that age were interested in. "Do you have a dog?" he'd finally asked._

_"No," Peter had replied, "but we have a cat. I'd like a dog, but Mum says that we can't get a dog right now."_

_"Where is your mum?" Harry had questioned, suddenly becoming aware that the boy should not be on his own._

_"She's just over there," Peter had pointed at a bench a few yards away that was in the shade of a tree._

_Harry had turned and looked at the woman sitting on the bench. He hadn't noticed her before. Then his eyes widened in surprise as he recognised Ruth._

_She'd risen, come toward them, and said, "Hello, Harry."_

_"Ruth!" he had exclaimed._

_"Mum," Peter had cut in, "isn't this dog great?"_

_"Yes, Love," Ruth had said, looking down at her son with eyes full of love. Then she had looked back at Harry and said, "I see you've met Peter."_

_Her eyes had searched his and there'd been something in them that he couldn't read. She'd seemed anxious, but there had also been something else there too that he hadn't been able to put his finger on and couldn't even now as he thought back to their encounter. They'd had a short conversation and then he'd left with Scarlet. _

_He thought about the way Ruth had looked at her son, and he found himself wishing that things could have turned out differently. Thank God, Malcolm had saved the boy, or he was sure that Ruth would never have forgiven him. As things stood now, at least she had come back to work and he could see her everyday. _

_The phone began to ring, breaking into his thoughts, and he sighed as he reached over and picked up the receiver. "Pearce," he said._


	5. Saying Goodbye Again?

_**Two years later**_

_"I told you I couldn't picture myself living there," Ruth said, her breathing laboured, "but really, I couldn't picture myself living there without you."_

_Harry felt his heart constrict as he stared into her beautiful blue eyes. He swallowed hard. "Then we are going to live there, Ruth," he replied, his voice gruff with emotion. "Do you hear me? We're going to live there together. We're going to have a home and a life."_

_Ruth closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again. "Harry, we were never meant to have those things," she whispered. "Take care of Peter for me and... I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Harry."_

_Harry felt his blood run cold at her words and he watched helplessly as she closed her eyes again._

_"She's arresting," Erin called out._

_"Come on," Harry yelled at Dimitri who was racing toward them from the bunker with a Medi-Kit in hand._

_"There's no defib.," Dimitri panted breathlessly as he came to a halt beside them. "It will have to be adrenaline."_

_"Her heart's stopped," Erin said to Dimitri urgently. "You have to go right now."_

_"Quick," Harry heard himself say. He could not believe what was happening. He could not, would not loose Ruth. Not again. Not now. He watched as Dimitri administered the dose. He watched her face for any sign of a response. He felt his chest tighten. He couldn't breath. _

_"We need to start CPR," he heard Erin say. "I'll keep pressure on the wound, Dimitri you do the chest compressions, Harry you do the breaths. Okay?"_

_Harry nodded._

_"How long for the Air Medevac, Cal?" asked Erin._

_"Two minutes," came the reply._

_Dimitri was already pumping hard, counting, "One, two, three,... ten,... thirty. Harry, two breaths."_

_He tilted Ruth's head back, pinched her nose and placed his mouth over hers to give her two breaths, pouring into her lifeless body all his love, willing her to live._

_"Come on, Ruth! Fight!" Erin said. "Fight for Peter."_

_Harry felt numb inside. He worked mechanically, giving Ruth's body oxygen and trying desperately to breath life back into her with every breath he gave her. Erin was holding bandages down over Ruth's stab wound, while Dimitri and Calum were taking turns with the chest compressions._

_Harry slowly became aware of a rhythmic sound that got steadily louder. He could hear the helicopter approaching. In what seemed like an eternity, he was being asked to move aside so that the paramedics could take over. He watched from a distance of a few meters as they used the defibrillator on Ruth's still form, and he found himself praying that she would come back. His face was pale and drawn, his eyes overbright from unshed tears. Erin, her face damp from her tears, was squeezing his shoulder, trying to give him comfort. _

_At last a shout, "We have a pulse," reached their ears and Harry's rigid self-control crumbled. He fell to his knees and sobbed while the paramedics loaded Ruth into the helicopter, unable to hold back the feelings that had been threatening to overwhelm him since the moment she had closed her eyes._

_"Harry?" said Erin, touching his shoulder gently. "Are you going in the chopper?"_

_He nodded, and wiping his tears away roughly with he hands, he got up, walked over to the helicopter, and got in._


	6. Waiting

_Harry was pacing again. He was still in the hospital and Ruth was still with the doctors, undergoing emergency surgery. The past few hours had been a blur. Arriving in the helicopter, Ruth being rushed into surgery, he himself being shown to a private waiting room, where he would not be found should the CIA get wind of what happened, Erin, Dimitri and Calum arriving. He'd lost track of time; he'd lost track of everything, everything except Ruth. _

_He'd given so much to the service, to his country. He'd given everything really. And now, he was about to loose the last and only part of himself that he hadn't given up. He could not believe it. "So leave the service... with me. While we still know who we are," Ruth had said. Just when she was finally ready to join him at last, she had been snatched away from him. He was still paying for the mistakes he'd made so long ago, when he was a young man: Elena, Sasha, Jim. His past had caught up with him in the most cruel way imaginable._

_His mind drifted back over all the wasted opportunities for happiness that he'd had over the years. "Timing means everything," she'd said to him once. He knew that was true now. How bitterly did he regret all the chances he'd missed to show Ruth how important she was to him, to show her how much he needed her. _

_"You think I am a limited man. You think I don't understand the emotional side. Self-control, self-denial: these are the things that keep us together in this job," he'd said to her. Self-control and self-denial had been his way of coping with his work. But he found now that he had paid too high a price because of them. He'd missed so many opportunities to reach Ruth. In the last two years, she'd resisted every attempt he'd made to love her, but he'd always backed down, falling back on his self-control and self-denial. He should have persisted, reasoned with her, persuaded her to be with him, marry him. And now, it might already be too late. _

_He felt a sob rise up inside him, but he swallowed it down and ran a trembling hand over his face. "You will not give up hope, Harry Pearce," he growled to himself._

_Just then, the door opened and a doctor walked in. Harry turned to face him, trying to read the expression on his face for any clues and bracing himself for what he would say._

_"Miss Evershed is out of surgery. She's in intensive care," he said without preamble. Despite the fact that this man was not his patient's next of kin, he'd been told to share all the details with him, so he continued, "The shard of glass pierced her left lung, but no other organs were seriously damaged. She lost a lot of blood and has suffered three broken ribs from the CPR. She also arrested twice on the operating table. Needless to say, the next twenty-four hours are critical." _

_"Thank you, Doctor Keller. May I see her?" Harry asked, the relief evident on his face._

_"Yes," Keller replied, pleased to see that this man did actually care about his patient. He'd worked with the Security Services before and had come across plenty of spooks who didn't seem to care one way or the other about their injured colleagues. _

_Harry followed the doctor down the corridor to a room, where Ruth was lying on the bed, pale and still, connected by tubes and wires to a bunch of machines. Harry murmured his thanks to the doctor and pulled up a chair to sit down beside her. Gently, he picked up her cold hand and held it in his own as he looked down upon her still form. She looked so fragile, so weak, but she was alive, and Harry held on to that small ray of hope, stroking her hair with his free hand._

_"Ruth," he whispered, "I'm here. Everything's going to be okay."_

* * *

><p><em>Erin and Harry were in the waiting room. <em>

_"How is she, Harry?" Erin asked._

_"She's alive," he replied, and after a pause, he added, "She's in a coma."_

_"Tell her that I'm taking care of Peter," Erin said. "I've taken him home with me. Rosie's keeping his mind off his mum." _

_"Thanks," Harry said, pleased by how much his team cared for Ruth and had rallied around her, and him, to help in any way they could. The mention of Peter reminded him of Ruth's last words: "Take care of Peter for me. I'm sorry I didn't tell you." What didn't she tell him? He looked at Erin. "Erin," he said, "Do you know what she meant?"_

_"Meant?" Erin asked._

_"She said 'Sorry I didn't tell you'," Harry explained. "Tell me what? What did she mean?"_

_He thought that Erin looked uncomfortable for a moment. _

_"I don't know, Harry," she said after a beat, "I'd better get back to the Grid. The whole mess with the Gavriks still needs to be sorted out." Erin squeezed his arm. "She'll be okay, Harry," she said and left the room._

* * *

><p><em>Towers was there, saying, "I'm sorry, Harry. There's nothing I can do about it. You have to go."<em>

_"I am asking for your help, Home Secretary," Harry almost pleaded. _

_"I can probably hold them off for twenty-four hours, Harry, but not longer than that," Towers sighed._

_"Thank you," Harry nodded, grateful for his help even if twenty-four hours was not much of a respite._

_He sighed. The CIA wanted him back. He had hardly had time to think about that over the last twenty-four hours. Ruth had been on his mind all the time. Still, he'd hoped that now that they knew that Jim had been killed by Elena, they would have let him go. It didn't look like there was much chance of that any more. At least Ruth was still alive. The doctors had said that she was recovering reasonably well from her injuries, but she was still in a coma. If there was any brain damage, they would only know that if and when she woke up. _

_He'd gone home last night, to shower and get some rest. Erin had insisted that he go. He'd just returned to see Ruth when he'd met Towers. They were in Ruth's room, speaking in low voices. Harry watched her still form, hoping to see a change from yesterday, anything that might give him hope. He saw none. _

* * *

><p><em>Harry stayed with Ruth until the evening. It was time to go home soon and tomorrow he would be flown to the States. He sighed. <em>

_"Ruth," he said, "I have to leave soon. I'll be going away for a few days, but I'll be back. I promise. What ever it takes, I'll come back. Do you hear me, Ruth. I will always come back to you. Please wake up, Ruth. I can't bear to loose you again. Not now. I went to visit your house today, Ruth. The one you found by the sea. I loved it. I want to live in it with you and Peter. I want us to be together always, to be a family." He was getting more desperate now. He lent over Ruth and kissed her pale face. "Please, Love. Please wake up. I don't think I can go on without you."_

_His left hand was resting on her wrist. He placed his forehead on her forehead and stoked her hair with his free hand. Suddenly, he thought he felt her hand move, ever so slightly. Harry, straightened up in shock and stared down at her. She looked exactly the same. Was he hallucinating? _

_"Ruth," he whispered. _

_Her eyelids twitched. Harry's heart leaped. He jammed the button to call for assistance._

_"What is it?" said the nurse._

_"She just moved," he breathed. "Ruth. Ruth, can you hear me? Dear God, please wake up, Ruth." _

_Again Ruth's eyelids twitched. _

_"I'll call the doctor," said the nurse and disappeared out the door._


	7. The Truth

_It was ten pm now and Harry had just got home. He felt elated. Ruth hadn't regained consciousness, but the doctors agreed that she was showing signs of improvement, and they felt much more hopeful. Harry felt as if the fog that had surrounded him for the last two days was beginning to lift. He got himself some food, finished his dinner, and poured himself some whiskey. He turned on the TV and watched the news. It seemed odd to be out of touch with what had been going on over the last couple of days._

_There was a knock at the door and Harry got up to answer it. It was Malcolm. _

_"Hello, Harry," he said. "How are you holding up?"_

_"Hello, Malcolm," he relied. "Come in."_

_They walked into the sitting room and Malcolm took a seat while Harry poured him a drink. _

_"Have you seen Ruth?" Harry asked._

_"Not since I met you there this morning," Malcolm replied. "Is there any change?"_

_"The doctors are more hopeful," Harry informed him as he handed his friend the drink._

"_That's good," Malcolm nodded and took a sip of the whiskey while Harry returned to his armchair and took a seat._

_There was a pause in the conversation, and Harry noticed that Malcolm looked somewhat distracted and uncomfortable as if he had something on his mind. "A penny for them?" he said after a few moments._

_"I don't know if I should, Harry," he replied quietly._

_Harry was intrigued. He knew that the best way to get Malcolm to talk was to wait in silence, so he said nothing, kept his face impassive, and continued to watch Malcolm out of the corner of his eye._

_"Ruth," Malcolm began after a few minutes, "asked me to do something for her a couple of years ago."_

_Here Malcolm paused again, and Harry was even more interested now. "What sort of thing?" he asked quietly._

_"Well," Malcolm said thoughtfully, "she asked me to give you a letter if something happened to her."_

_Harry was silent. Was this the thing that Ruth had not told him? The one she had mentioned at the end. "Something has happened to her," he said calmly._

_"I'm not sure that's what she meant," Malcolm sighed, looking up at Harry and meeting his eye. "I think she was referring to something more permanent."_

_"Malcolm," Harry reasoned, "I am leaving tomorrow and I have no idea if and when they'll let me come back. Ruth is in a coma and no one has any idea when she'll wake up." He didn't say if. He couldn't bring himself to contemplate that possibility. He looked at Malcolm expectantly. _

_His old friend sighed and handed him a sealed envelope."My thoughts exactly," were his only words._

_Harry took the envelope. It was addressed to him in Ruth's hand. He got up, and grabbing the letter opener from his desk, he opened it. He took out two sheets of paper. One was a letter and the other a birth certificate. Peter's birth certificate. He looked at the letter first. It was dated about one year earlier. _

* * *

><p>Dearest Harry,<p>

I am writing you this letter because there is something that I would like you to know, and if you are reading this letter, I am no longer able to tell you in person. I am sorry for that because I am sure that, wherever I am right now, I miss you. You are the love of my life, Harry Pearce. I have never found love this deep or this strong with anyone else. I cherish all the memories of our time together, but particularly that night we spent together. That night was one of the best gifts you could have given me. It has sustained me through all the hard times. All the best and worst moments of my adult life have occurred when I was with you, Harry. All except one: the birth of our son, Peter.

Peter is your son, Harry. We made him together on that beautiful night. Forgive me for keeping this from you for so long. At first I had no choice, and later when we came back to England, I did it to protect Peter, so that he could not be used as leverage against you. We both know what that experience is like. When John Bateman took me, you almost destroyed your career to keep me safe. I could not take that risk with Peter for both your sakes. He has already been used as a hostage once. I believe that you would have made a different decision if you had known that he was your son, and I am quite certain that it would have been disastrous for all of us.

Please forgive me, Harry. It was done out of love for the two people I care about most in this world, you and Peter. Protect him and take care of him for me.

Yours always,

Ruth x

* * *

><p><em>Harry staggered to a chair and sank down in it. Peter was his son. He and Ruth had a son. How could she have kept this from him? Eight years. He'd missed eight years of the boy's life. Malcolm handed him a drink. He drained the glass in one gulp. Despite the apparent calmness of his face Malcolm could see Harry was furious. <em>

_"You knew about this?" Harry growled after a few minutes._

_"I guessed," Malcolm replied. "He looks just like you, you know."_

_"Really?" Harry asked, momentarily forgetting his hurt and anger. "How could she not tell me something like this?" he demanded. _

_Harry got up and paced around the room, struggling to deal with the surge of emotions that were threatening to overwhelm him. The realization that Ruth had been effectively lying to him for three years hurt him like nothing else could. He felt betrayed. It felt like a knife had been driven straight through his heart. _

_He reminded Malcolm of a caged lion. "She wrestled with it a lot, Harry," Malcolm said. "It was not something she took lightly."_

_No, Harry thought, she would not have taken it lightly. This thought seemed to make him angrier. What right did she have to keep this from him? He had a son. He had fathered another child and he had no idea. The irony of this was not lost on him. "Humph," he grunted. "In the last week, I have discovered that a young man I thought was my son for almost thirty years in not actually mine, and that a boy I have often wished was mine actually is."_

_"How ironic," Malcolm smiled. Harry glared at him and Malcolm's face became serious at once._

_"How could she lie to me about this?" he demanded. She was just like Elena, lying and manipulating to get what she wanted. He'd thought her better than that, but now he realized that he didn't know her at all. He paced around the room, trying to get his head around it. _

_Harry glanced at Malcolm who was watching him with concern. Self-control, self-control, he thought as he struggled to calm himself. "To hell with the bloody self-control," he suddenly yelled and picking up his glass he flung it across the room where it shattered against the door. It was a very satisfying sound, and it had Malcolm jumping up from his seat and looking positively alarmed now._

_"Harry," he said in a soothing voice, "I know that you're upset, but the way I see it, you've been given a gift. You finally have a chance to be a real father, Harry. The father you always wanted to be. The time is right for this."_

_Malcolm's words had a profound effect on Harry. He had been seething with anger just a moment ago, but now he suddenly felt his anger drain away. Malcolm was right. He hadn't had the power to be a good father before. That part of him had been broken long ago. This was an opportunity for him to heal inside and become a better man and a better father to all his children. _

_Then he remembered and slumped back into his chair. "Yes," Harry sighed, "if the Yanks ever let me go."_

_He picked up the birth certificate and looked at it. Name of father, he read, Henry James Pearce. Harry cleared his throat and got up to pour himself another drink as he blinked away the tears forming in his eyes._


	8. Ruth Awakes

_**Three weeks later**_

Ruth heard voices near her. She couldn't make out what they were saying. A moment ago, she'd been on a yacht in a thunderstorm. She'd been alone and the sea and wind had been raging at the small vessel. Every wave lifted the little boat up high and then plunged it down toward the abyss, the waves washing over its deck. It was like riding a roller-coaster. She was soaking wet and hanging on for dear life. She had no idea how she came to be there, in the middle of nowhere all on her own. Was this some kind of operation that had gone wrong? Had she been kidnapped again? She'd tried yelling for help but soon gave up. Far ahead she could see the sun shinning on a patch of ocean which seemed calm and beautifully serene. As she rode the waves in her little boat, it suddenly occurred to her that her life had been just like this journey, full of ups and downs. She'd hung on tighter as the next wave rocked the vessel.

The patch of sunlight seemed to be growing bigger now, and with relief, she realized that she was heading toward it. As she got closer, however, her heart was suddenly gripped with terror. Up ahead, right in her boat's path, razor sharp rocks stuck out of the water. The were rising up from the water one minute and disappearing under a wave the next. Sharp, jagged pieces stuck out of the sea, like giant teeth in the mouth of a great sea monster. She pulled at the wheel of the boat with all her strength, all the while praying for it to turn, but it was no use. She was heading straight for the rocks. The boat was moving fast now and the rocks loomed right ahead. The next wave picked the little boat up and brought it smashing down onto them. Ruth screamed, felt a great pain in her side, and plunged into the deep waters.

She felt cold and numb. She made some feeble attempts to swim, but she was being dragged down by the ocean currents. All the noise of the storm was gone, and everything was still and perfectly silent. Then she heard a voice coming from far away. "Ruth, Ruth," it said. Someone was calling her. She tried to answer but she found that she couldn't speak. Where was she? Had she drowned? Was she dead? "Ruth," came the voice again. There was something familiar about it. She recognized it from somewhere. But where? It was so hard to think.

Her surroundings had been pitch black a moment ago, but everything seemed to be growing lighter now. There was something shimmering in the distance right above her. Then she saw a shape moving toward her. She couldn't identify it at first, but as it drew nearer, she realized that it looked like someone swimming. The swimmer was coming toward her.

"Ruth, don't worry. I've got you," he said as he came near and put an arm round her waist. She could see him clearly now. Those kind, gentle, hazel eyes that she loved. His full lips that she had kissed goodbye too many times. She wrapped her arms around him and together they moved through the water. They broke the surface and Ruth was momentarily blinded by the bright sunshine. She looked around. The water all around them was a sparkling blue-green that took her breath away. Behind her, she could make out sharp rocks and the edge of a vicious storm, but in front of them was the most beautiful tropical island she'd ever seen.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"We're home, Ruth. We're home," Harry whispered. Then he held her tight and tenderly kissed her lips.

The voices were still there. Where was she? She'd been lying on a beach in Harry's arms a moment ago. What had happened? Where was Harry? She tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt suddenly very heavy. She tried to speak, but this too was hard. She lay still for some time.

"This is ridiculous," she thought, and focusing all her energy and attention on it, she tried to open her eyes once more. This time her eyelids slowly fluttered open.

It was bright in this place and again she wondered where she was. She tried to look around, but found it impossible to move. Slowly she realized that she was in a room, looking up at the ceiling. She could hear voices again, but could not make out what they were saying. Who was there? Was she in some room on her island? Where was Harry? She tried to speak but found it hard to move her lips and tongue. She tried again.

"Harry?" she said in a hoarse whisper. "Harry?"


	9. Together

**Monday**

It had been a week since she'd woken to find herself in a hospital bed. When she'd spoken, the voices she'd heard had stopped and two people had rushed to her bedside.

"Ruth," Erin had cried. "You're awake!"

"How are you feeling, Ruth?" Dimitri had asked.

Then doctors had rushed in and made a lot of fuss. Over the next few days, she'd gone through a number of tests: ultrasounds, an MRI, and heaven knows what else. The doctors had been amazed to find that she had no serious problems as a result of her injuries. She suffered from a lot of headaches, her memory of recent events was sketchy, and she found herself getting tired easily. She was going to be discharged today.

Her mind drifted back to a conversation she'd had with Erin.

"Harry's still in America, Ruth," she'd said gently a few days after Ruth had first woken from her coma.

Ruth had been asleep for just over three weeks. She'd given Erin a grateful look. She'd been wondering about Harry. Where was he? Why hadn't he come? She'd remembered just the night before that she'd asked him to leave the service with her, but she couldn't remember what he'd replied. Perhaps he'd decided not to and was now too embarrassed to come and see her.

"Has he been there long?" Ruth had asked.

"He had to leave a couple of days after you were taken to hospital," she'd replied. "He had to go to be questioned by the CIA. The Home Secretary is trying hard to get him back. There's a lot of politics involved." There had been a pause in the conversation and then Erin had added, "He knows that you're awake, Ruth, and I bet that he can't wait to get back here to see you."

Ruth blinked back the tears forming in her eyes at the recollection. Harry was still not back. Perhaps she would have to start planning a future without Harry now. Even if he came back, she wasn't sure that he wanted what she hoped he did. It was going to be a thousand times harder to move on this time. She didn't think she had it in her any more. Perhaps if she went back to Cyprus, somewhere familiar it would be easier, she thought. Perhaps-

A knock at the door pulled her out of her reverie. "Come in," she called.

Erin walked in with a big smile on her face. "Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Yes," said Ruth, trying to sound cheerful. After all, it isn't every day that you escape death's jaws, though in her profession it happened more often than she wished.

"I'll drive you home then," Erin said. "Peter's waiting for you there."

"Thank you," replied Ruth, "and thank you for taking such good care of him all this time."

"It's the least I could do and it was a great pleasure," Erin smiled. "Rosie had such a good time with him. The two of them are thick as thieves."

They walked to the lift together and Ruth was feeling better with every step. There is nothing like a long stay in hospital to take away your optimism. They reached Erin's car and Ruth got into the passenger seat.

Erin drove off and after a moment she said, "I have to make a stop somewhere first. Is that okay with you, Ruth?"

"Of course, Erin," Ruth replied.

Neither of them spoke much during the drive which was turning out to be quite long, and Ruth began to feel tired again. As she looked out the window, she sadly wondered if she would ever get her energy back.

* * *

><p>"Ruth?" Erin said.<p>

Ruth came round slowly. She must have fallen asleep. The car had stopped and Erin was talking to her.

"You look worn out. Would you like to get out of the car, stretch your legs, and get some fresh air, while I finish the job I have to do here?" she asked.

"That would be lovely. How long do you think you'll be?" Ruth replied.

"About fifteen minutes, I should think. Why don't I just call you when I'm done so that you don't have to hang around the car waiting?" Erin suggested.

"Sounds good. Thanks, Erin," said Ruth.

She got out of the car and looked around. They were on a quiet street in what looked like a small town. Something about it looked familiar, but she couldn't pinpoint what. She turned around to ask Erin what the name of this place was, but Erin had already gone. Ruth decided to go for a walk to stretch her legs and explore a little. She looked around her again. She was on a little street lined with small, beautifully kept houses and front gardens. It was very picturesque. One end of the street looked familiar, so she set off in that direction wondering if and when she'd been here before.

She was still having trouble with her memory. Bits and pieces of disjointed recollections would suddenly resurface in her mind, but she was finding it frustrating to not be able to recall things at will. She'd always had an excellent memory. She hadn't gone more that one hundred meters when she noticed that the road curved to the right and straight in front of her was a paved path for pedestrians. She paused for a moment here. Now she was sure she'd been here before. She continued along the path, which turned sharply to the right and as she approached the turn she froze.

He was standing at the entrance to the garden of a house. Her house. It all came back to her now. The house she'd made an offer on. The house she'd dreamed of living in with him and Peter. Together. He was smiling now. A big broad smile. His hands were in his pockets, his white shirt open at the collar, and his sleeves turned up to the elbows. He looked gorgeous.

* * *

><p><em>It was so good to see her. He still remembered the moment when the British Consul had told him that Ruth had woken up. He didn't think he would ever forget it. The joy he'd felt in that one instance had been probably more that he'd felt in his entire life. She was alive, awake, and she was well. It had taken a week to negotiate a way out of his situation with the CIA, but Towers had helped him gain his liberty, and he would be eternally grateful to him for that. In the mean time, the British Consul had arranged to get messages to Malcolm and Erin for him. Despite the frustration of not being able to get back, he had been able to plan everything so that this moment would be perfect. The moment he'd been planning for all week. He had only just arrived from the airport himself and had got here with only an hour to spare. <em>

_She looked stunned to see him standing there._

_"Hello, Ruth," he said. "Welcome home."_

_She gave him a puzzled look for a moment, but then she smiled back at him and came closer._

_"Hello, Harry," she replied. "They let you go then. I'm glad. It's good to see you."_

_"It's good to see you too," he answered. "Come inside the house."_

_"Hasn't it been sold yet?" she asked in a surprised tone of voice._

_"Come and take a look," Harry insisted._

_He held out his hand to her and she took it gladly. Her hand was warm, unlike the last time he'd held it, but it was much thinner than it had been in the past. He felt concern for her wash over him and vowed to make sure that she was properly taken care of, preferably by him. He smiled at her and turned to lead her up the garden path to the front door with its pealing green paint. Here he let go of her hand to open the door for her. _

* * *

><p>She was not sure she could do this. She paused and took a step back.<p>

"Please," Harry said, his eyes begging for her trust and she could see that this meant a lot to him.

She swallowed hard and gave herself a mental shake. She had promised herself that she would tell Harry about Peter the next time she saw him. It was going to be much harder to do it here, but it was probably the least that she deserved for the secret she had kept for so long. She took a deep breath, stepped through the front door, and walked toward the kitchen. As she stepped into the room, she saw that someone did indeed live here. The kitchen had a very homely feel about it and it was full of belongings. She took a step further in and then stopped. She noticed the table cloth first. Then as she looked around, she saw more and more things that were hers. All the objects in this room were her own. She was stunned. She noticed Harry watching her. Had he done this? Had he put her things in here? But how could he have managed that if he'd been away? Had he really been away? Was this some kind of trick? Or was it Harry's idea of a present? Perhaps he thought that it would be a nice surprise for her to find herself living in this house. She remembered mentioning it to him when he'd been arrested by the CIA. Perhaps he was just trying to be nice without having any idea how painful this would be for her. She took a deep breath and resolved to ask him.

"What's going on, Harry?" she said.

* * *

><p><em>He'd been watching her. She was surprised at first, then puzzled, then angry, and now he noted that she was on the brink of tears. What was she thinking? <em>

_"What's going on, Harry?" she said._

_"Why don't we sit down in the garden and talk?" Harry suggested._

_She hesitated for a moment but then she agreed. They walked outside and she sat down on a garden bench. Harry sat down beside her and turned to face her. _

_"Ruth, do you remember describing this house to me?" he asked, aware that Ruth had some troubles with her memory._

_"No," she answered simply._

_"It was just after you'd been stabbed," he said. "I asked you about it and you told me all about the front door and the peeling paint, and how you loved it, and then you... What is it?" he asked anxiously._

_"I remember now," she whispered. Her face had gone pale and there was so much emotion in her eyes. He could read sorrow, doubt, and, yes, a glimmer of hope. It was almost too much for him._

_"I made you a promise," he managed to say, "and I would like to keep that promise if you'll let me."_

_There were tears in her eyes now, and the next moment they were rolling down her cheeks, but she was smiling up at him through her tears. Harry felt his gut twist._

_"Don't cry, Ruth. Please don't cry. I didn't want to make you cry, Love," he said._

_He took her face in his hands and gently wiped away her tears with his thumbs. Then he moved toward her and kissed her soft lips. _

_"Ruth," he murmured. "Will you marry me?"_

* * *

><p>She wanted this so much that she replied without thinking, without hesitation.<p>

"Yes, Harry," she whispered back. "I will."

Harry groaned as he pulled her into his arms. He held her close, kissing her hair, her neck, her face and lips. Ruth started to push him away as she suddenly remembered that she hadn't told him about Peter yet, and he would probably change his mind as soon as he found out.

"Harry," she whispered, "wait... There is something I need to tell you."

"I know everything, Ruth," he replied between kisses, refusing to let her go. "I know that you love me. I know that I love you. I know that I have left the service like I promised. I know that we're going to get married and I know that we're going to live here together. I know that Peter will be trilled to find you home when he comes back from his trip to the park with Erin, Malcolm and Rosie. And I know that _that_ boy is brilliant, just like his dad." Here he lifted his head and gazed into her eyes. His eyes were dancing with joy, pride, love, and a little hint of amusement. "Malcolm gave me a letter," he explained.

Ruth burst into tears. "Oh, Harry. I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before," Ruth sobbed. "I felt so terrible about it. And then, when we found out about Sasha, I felt even worse. I felt that I was as bad as Elena. That I'd hurt you as deeply as she had, and I knew at that moment that I needed to tell you the truth. Please -"

"Don't cry, Ruth," Harry interrupted with feeling. "You are _nothing_ like her. Do you hear me. Everything you do, you do out of love for others, not like her," he paused and then continued, "I was very angry at first. In fact, I was so angry that I smashed a glass against the door, but then Malcolm made me see what a wonderful gift I'd been given. In the last few weeks, I've had a lot of time to think it over. You were right not to tell me. I don't think I was ready before. The past was hanging over me then, and my job was all consuming. Now, we are free from the past. The three of us can live together and be happy."

She looked up at him not quite believing what he said, knowing that she did not deserve to be forgiven so quickly.

"I mean it, Ruth," Harry said seriously. "Like you said, we're both made of secrets. Heaven knows, I have many more secrets than you probably ever had, but I want us to finally move on from them all. I don't want our past to get in the way of our future again. Please, Ruth. No more guilt, no more regrets. Let us just enjoy the present. Let's enjoy being together, watching our son grow up together. We are no longer spies."

He wiped away her tears and she smiled at him. He held her close for a while, and she enjoyed the feeling of being in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, her arms wrapped around his waist. After a while, she looked up at him and he smiled down at her. "Now," he teased, "how would you like to see the house? The bedroom is of particular interest, I feel."

She smiled, then frowned and began to speak, "Won't -"

"Don't worry," Harry whispered. "I asked Erin to take them for a very long walk, involving a park, some ice cream, and possibly even bowling."

"That was awfully presumptuous of you," Ruth laughed. "I might have said no."

"If you had," Harry replied with a twinkle in his eye, "I would _not_ have let you get away with it. I will never again accept no for an answer from you. You are looking at the new me. No self-control or self-denial when it comes to you."

"Well, in that case," she smiled, "lead on Sir Harry."

* * *

><p><em>It had been just as he remembered. In fact, it had been much, much better. The knowledge that he had almost lost it all made him appreciate everything so much more. Their love making had been sweeter this time. She was still fragile, and he had worked hard to be gentle and loving. There would be time for passion later. They had all the time in the world.<em>

_She was sleeping next to him, her hand resting on his chest, her leg curled around his and her face inches away from his own. She was beautiful and so peaceful in her slumber. _

_"I love you, Ruth," he whispered and kissed her cheek softly. Then he disentangled himself from her body and eased himself out of bed. He pulled the covers over her, and then he had a shower and got dressed. When he was ready, he closed the door behind him and went downstairs and out into the garden. _

* * *

><p>She woke up to find herself alone in bed. Had it all been a dream? She sat up and looked around. No, it wasn't a dream. He'd left his jacket on the back of the chair. Ruth smiled, got out of bed, and picked it up. She brought it to her face and rubbed it against her cheek, closing her eyes and inhaling his scent that clung to the fabric. She sighed happily and walked over to the wardrobe to hang it up beside her own clothes before going to have a shower. When she was done, she put on some clean clothes and went downstairs. The house was empty, so she walked into the back garden.<p>

They didn't see her at first. They were all playing football: Malcolm, Erin, Rosie, Peter, and Harry. Peter was trying to get the ball away from his dad, and it was such a pleasure to watch them together. They were both laughing, and when Peter did get the ball in the end, Harry resorted to picking him up and throwing him over his shoulder, while the boy laughed. She realized that this moment was worth all the heartache she had lived through to get here, and her heart overflowed with love and joy.

* * *

><p><em>As he spun his son around on his shoulder, he caught sight of Ruth watching them. Putting Peter down, he said, "Look who's here, Peter."<em>

_"Mum," the boy yelled and raced toward her._

_"Hello, Love," she smiled, leaning down and giving him a loving embrace and a kiss. _

_"Mum, we're playing football. Will you join in? Uncle Harry and Uncle Malcolm could use some help on their team. We're slaughtering them," Peter panted. Then he hugged his mum again and added, "I've missed you, Mum."_

_"I missed you too," Ruth replied with a smile._

_"Uncle Harry said that we're going to live here now," Peter continued. "Is it true, Mum? Are we really?"_

_"Would you like to?" Ruth asked._

_"Oh, yes! I love it here!" Peter exclaimed._

_"That's good because we _are_ going to live here now," Ruth relied and looked over Peter's head at Harry. His breath caught when their gazes met and he saw all the love in the world shining in her eyes._

_When everyone else had gone, and Ruth had got Peter ready for bed, Harry came upstairs to say good night to him._

_"Will you read me a story, Uncle Harry?" Peter asked._

_"Of course I will," Harry smiled. _

_He had always liked Peter very much, but he hadn't been able to see him before he left for America. He'd been worried that it would take them a long time to form a bond, but he'd been wrong. It had been instantaneous. He loved his boy very much already, and Peter was very trusting and open with him._

_"Good night, Peter," Ruth said, giving him a kiss._

_"Good night, Mum," Peter replied and lay down to listen to his story._

* * *

><p>Ruth went downstairs and into the kitchen, where she started to wash up and put things away. It had been a lovely day. Rosie and Peter seemed to be getting on like a house of fire, and she was pleased about this as she hoped that it would mean she would see more of Erin and Rosie. Malcolm had looked particularly happy for her, Harry, and Peter, and she'd made him promise to call on them as often as he had before, so he wouldn't feel that he was intruding.<p>

It took her a good half hour to clean up, and when she'd finished, she was surprised that Harry hadn't come downstairs yet, so she crept up the stairs to Peter's room. The door was ajar and she heard Peter's exited voice drifting through it.

"Did she say yes?" he asked.

"Yes, she did," Harry smiled.

"Hooray!" Peter exclaimed.

"I'm glad you're happy about it, Peter," Harry grinned.

"When will you get married then?" Peter asked.

"How about Saturday?" Harry answered. "Does that sounds good?"

"Yes. Then you can live with us," Peter beamed, "and we can play football together everyday."

"Whenever you want to Peter," Harry answered, his voice gruff with emotion. "You'd better go to sleep now."

Harry kissed the boy's cheek and tucked him in.

"Goodnight, Son," he said.

"Goodnight," Peter whispered sleepily and Ruth felt her heart overflow with emotion as she listened to their conversation.

* * *

><p><em>Harry moved toward the door and opened it. Ruth was standing right outside the door smiling. He winked at her and turned to close the door.<em>

_Just then Peter said in a sleepy voice, "Uncle Harry, can I call you __D__ad now?"_

_He was not aware that he could feel more joy than he had already been experiencing. He felt a lump form in his throat and the back of his eyes prickled. "Yes, Peter. I would really like that," he said in an unsteady voice as he blinked rapidly to dispel his tears._

_"Goodnight, Dad," Peter whispered and fell asleep._

_He felt Ruth's hand clasp his, and he stepped back and closed the door to his son's room. Then turning around, he took Ruth into his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest, burying his face in her hair._

* * *

><p>He was kissing her now, passionately with complete abandon. His hands were running through her hair, along her back, over her buttocks. It felt delicious to be wanted so much again, and she felt the same surge of passion flow through her as it had eight years ago. She responded enthusiastically, pulling his shirt out of his trousers and running her hands across his back, as he began moving toward their bedroom, half-pulling, half-pushing her along. Once inside he momentarily let her go to close and lock the door, and Ruth took the opportunity to remove her top and bra, so that when he turned around she was naked from the waist up.<p>

"God, Ruth," he murmured. "You're beautiful."

He reached for her and began to caress her breasts, causing Ruth to pause in the act of unbuttoning his shirt as her eyes drifted closed and she sighed in contentment. God, it felt so good to have his hands on her. Soon his lips, tongue, and teeth joined in, and she groaned and pulled his head down toward her as she begged him to suck harder. He happily complied, sucking, licking, and nipping her breasts passionately as her fingers slid through his hair and she moaned his name. Eventually he stopped, and lifting his head, he shifted his attention to removing the rest of her clothes. Her fingers moved swiftly to his trouser button and fly, making quick work of them and letting his trousers slide to the floor as he lowered her skirt. Then braking apart, they impatiently stripped out of the rest of their garments, tossing them onto the floor.

* * *

><p><em>He couldn't think straight any more. He'd lost complete control again and it felt so very good. They were in bed now, kissing, touching, caressing, massaging, and pleasuring each other. She was driving him wild. She pushed him onto his back, and her hands were running up and down his chest, then his stomach, and finally his inner thighs. He groaned aloud as he felt her hand brush against his erection, and tried to pull her up so that he could kiss her. She resisted, however, and the next moment, he felt her mouth close over the tip of his penis and he gasped as she began using her hands, mouth, and tongue to flood his brain with such sensations of pleasure that he was powerless to move. He groaned and whispered her name as he came nearer and nearer to climaxing, but at the last minute, she pulled away, licking and stroking his stomach and chest as she worked her way back up his body to capture his lips with hers. <em>

* * *

><p>He rolled her over onto her back and kissed her for long moments, using his lips, tongue, and teeth to send jolts of pure pleasure to her very core. Then he traced the line of her jaw all the way to her ear with his lips and tongue, biting on her ear lobe playfully and eliciting a deep guttural moan from her lips. His hands were caressing her breasts; his thumbs moving in circles around her nipples and occasionally brushing over one of the hardened peaks, sending bolts of lightning through her body. He was sucking on her ear lobe with his mouth now, and she lost herself in the sensations he was creating. When he plunged his tongue into her ear, she cried out in pleasure and gripped him tightly with her hands. Harry moved his lips down to her breasts as his hands and fingers stroked her abdomen and inner thighs, causing the pleasure she was feeling to became more and more intense. Soon he was kissing her stomach and his fingers were tracing her wet folds, and when he slid a finger into her, she gasped and then groaned as he began to slide in and out of her while he pinched and rubbed her clitoris with his other hand. The pressure that had been building inside her, winding itself tighter and tighter in her belly, was almost at its peak now.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Harry, please," he heard her gasp. "Together," she pleaded.<em>

"_Yes," he growled as he pulled himself up and gently lowered his body onto hers, pressing his lips to hers as he slowly slid inside her. She was so ready for him, was so wet, that he couldn't help himself, and he suddenly plunged deep inside her with one swift motion. He heard her moan his name and felt her legs wrap round his waist as she tilted her pelvis so that he could reach even deeper inside her. "Ruth," he murmured as he began to move, feeling her match his steadily increasing rhythm until soon, they were thrusting their bodies together, faster and faster until with a shudder they both came, catapulting each other into bliss. They collapsed onto the bed, their bodies still joined together, their limbs intertwined as they held each other close._

"_Are you okay?" he asked._

"_Mmmm," she hummed. "Wonderful."_

"_Your lung..." he murmured as he lifted his head to see her face, suddenly feeling worried and guilty as he remembered how fragile she still was. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"_

"_No," she smiled. "Don't worry. I'd have said something if it was painful."_

"_Promise?" he asked._

"_I promise," she nodded, looking at him earnestly, knowing that he needed this reassurance. _

"_Good," he smiled and pressed his lips against hers. Then he lowered his head to the pillow again and sighed in contentment. _

"_You know," she murmured a few moments later in a husky voice, "I bet that this is actually the best medicine I could have."_

"_Really?" he chuckled as he turned to look at her._

"_All that Oxytocin that you're making my body release has to be good for my recovery, don't you think? It's well known that it decreases inflammation by inhibiting the release of cytokines," she smiled._

"_Indeed," he agreed with a grin, amused by her assumption that everyone's knowledge was as extensive as her own. "I suppose that we'll have to do it daily then to speed up your recovery."_

"_At the very least," she grinned, her eyes sparkling at him in pleasure._

"_It will be my pleasure," he growled in a low voice and gazed into her eyes, feeling a surge of love for her overwhelm him. "I love you," he murmured after a moment and pressed a kiss to her nose._

"_I love you too, Harry," she whispered._


	10. Tuesday

**_Tuesday_**

_Harry awoke early in the morning with Ruth lying next to him, gloriously naked in his arms. She really was so very beautiful, he thought. Her skin was smooth, her hair silky, her breasts soft, her bottom round, and her eyes sparkling, blue pools of love, love for him. He studied her face, tracing over it with his eyes lovingly as she slept on, oblivious to his scrutiny. The laughter lines round her eyes were a testament to her cheerful nature, and he was suddenly immensely grateful for her strength, and the fact that, despite everything that had happened to her, his Ruth was still able to cope and find happiness in her life. He suspected that a lot of that was due to Peter, who'd given her purpose and joy in one of the most difficult times in her life, and who's cheerful, loving, open nature must be a constant source of joy for anyone lucky enough to be near him. He felt a warmth spread out from his heart at the thought of his son, and he was, once again, immensely grateful for their luck in having him, creating him even though the odds of doing so after making love just once must be quite slim._

_He let his eyes drift lower, away from her face, admiring her beauty and thinking how lucky he was to have her, especially when he'd come so close to loosing her forever. He pushed the covers a little further down and ran his fingers over the scar on her abdomen, just below her rib cage, before moving lower down the bed and bringing his lips to it, kissing her tenderly. He was amazed to find desire stir in him once more. He hadn't believed it to be possible at his age. _

_He trailed kisses down her abdomen to her thighs, caressing them with his fingers and lips. She moaned and let her legs fall apart, giving him access to her most intimate parts. He lifted his head a little to look at her, but her eyes were closed, and he couldn't tell if she was still asleep or not. Deciding that she'd probably wake up soon if she was still sleeping, he turned his attention back to her delicate folds. He'd never really had the opportunity to look at her before even though he'd tasted her all three times they'd made love, so he took the time to admire her, finding that she had the most beautiful pussy he'd ever seen. Slowly he brought his mouth near her and bathed her with his warm breath. Then he slid his tongue all the way across her folds, hearing her moan in pleasure. He continued to gently kiss and lick her folds, making out with her lips and hearing his own groans of pleasure mingle with hers. She was definitely awakes now, he was sure when he felt her hands slide into his hair and pull him toward her as she moaned his name. He slid two fingers into her soft warmth, making her moans drop an octave, and he felt shivers run down his spine at the sounds of pleasure she was making. When her release came, it was powerful, making her body shake as she pulled his head down hard toward her and called out his name, and it felt so good to know that he could give her so much pleasure. When he felt her relax, her arms and legs falling onto the bed with a sigh of deep contentment, he eased the pressure, sliding his fingers gently out of her, and began to place feather light kisses against her folds, her clit, her mons, her thighs, her stomach. Soon, she reached down, gently pulled his head up, kissed him on the lips and rolled over onto her side with her back toward him. Somehow, he understood what she wanted, slid close to her, and hugging her tightly, he entered her gently from behind and began to move his pelvis slowly, rhythmically. _

* * *

><p>She sighed contentedly and began to rock her body to meet him as she pulled his hand up to her face and began to kiss his wrist and palm.<p>

"Mmmmm," she murmured in a husky voice. "This _is_ a good morning."

She felt Harry chuckle, and the sound seemed to reverberate inside her and combine with the rhythmic motion of his member to create a delicious sensation deep in her core. She moaned again and took one of his fingers into her mouth, sucking on it gently, running her tongue along it, and scraping it with her teeth. They were moving in perfect harmony and she could hear him groan with every thrust, deeply enjoying the sensation of their bodies rubbing, pressing, merging, loving each other. This wasn't the wild love making of the night before, but she loved it just the same. This was sweet and slow loving, so different and yet still so perfect. She turned her head to look at Harry and felt her heart burn with love for him. His eyes were dark, aroused, pools of love, and gazing into them took her breath away.

* * *

><p><em>Her eyes were fixed on his, and he felt as if she could see right through him to his very soul. He could loose himself so easily inside those eyes that had the colour and depth of the sea. They gazed at each other as their bodies kept moving in perfect harmony, slowly and deliberately. It was sheer pleasure to know and feel that their bodies were joined together, that in this moment they were one. He knew that he could do this with her forever, never getting tired of it, always wanting more. <em>

_"I'm so glad you were wrong," he whispered._

_"Wrong?" she asked in a puzzled voice._

_"You told me that we were never meant to have this," Harry replied._

_"Well," she said with a smile, "I suppose everyone makes mistakes sometimes." She paused and then said, "I am glad I was wrong too, Harry."_

* * *

><p>There was a soft knock on the door.<p>

"Mum?" said a little voice. "Are you awake?"

Ruth came round at once. "Yes," she called, "Do you need something, Peter?"

"No," he replied in a louder voice now. "I was just checking to make sure you're all right. Uncle Malcolm said I needed to take care of you."

The handle of the door turned.

"Mum?" Peter said, sounding surprised this time. "Why is your door locked?"

"Sorry, Love," Ruth smiled. "I'll be up in a minute. Why don't you have breakfast?"

"I did already," Peter's voice sounded indignant. "It's already ten o'clock!"

Ruth heard her son walk away from the door and down the stairs. She glanced at Harry who was lying next to her on his side, facing her, his face partly burred in the pillow, and discovered that his eyes were closed.

"Harry," she whispered and stoked his shoulder gently.

"Mmm?" he replied.

"Are you awake?" she asked.

"No," he growled.

She lent toward him and kissed his shoulder, moving her hand to stroke his neck tenderly. Then she trailed kisses over his shoulder to his cheek. "Are you awake now?" she smiled.

Harry opened one eye and glanced at her.

"No," he repeated.

"I'll let you sleep in then," Ruth said and started to turn away.

* * *

><p><em>His arm shot out and pulled her back down onto the bed. She was lying on her back as he lifted himself over her so that his chest was diagonally across hers, supporting himself on his elbows on either side of her head as he took her lips in a tender kiss. Ruth slid her arms around his chest and stroked his back, making him shiver at her touch and deepen the kiss, pulling her closer with his arms and weaving his fingers through her hair. Some time later, he reluctantly lifted his head and smiled down at her.<em>

_"If we don't stop now," he said huskily, "I don't think we'll make it out of bed today."_

_She smiled and kissed his nose. "I'll make breakfast," she declared._

_They got up and took turns in the shower, deciding that it was unwise to tempt themselves further by sharing it. Then they returned to their bedroom and got dressed._

_"I really need to go to my house today," Harry said while surveying his crumpled shirt. "I need some more clothes."_

_Ruth smiled. "You could go after breakfast," she answered. Then she suddenly exclaimed, "Hang on a minute!"_

_He watched with curiosity as she moved to the dressing table and started pulling drawers open. _

_"Where is it?" she murmured to herself as she opened and closed the drawers. "I'm going to have to reorganize these today," she said in frustration after a minute of fruitless searching before finally exclaiming, "Got it!" She turned around and took a step toward him, holding out a folded polo shirt. _

_"Thanks," he said as he took it and unfolded it. It was a University of Oxford shirt, and when he pulled it on, he found it fit perfectly. He looked up at Ruth and saw that tears were shimmering in her eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked in concern._

_"Yes," she answered, her voice unsteady. "It's just... It was my father's shirt. It was his favourite. He went to Oxford too, you know."_

_Harry relaxed. For a moment, he'd thought that it had been George's shirt. He walked up to her and embraced her, rubbing her back in comfort as she cuddled into his chest._

_"I'm glad it fits you," she whispered. "He would have liked you, and I think, you would have liked him too."_

_"I'm sure I would, but I think his favourite would have been Peter," he smiled and kissed her hair._

"_Yes," she sighed and sniffed a little before pulling back to look at him, but at that moment, her stomach growled, lightening the mood immediately and making them both smile. _

_"We'd better get that breakfast," Harry chuckled and they turned to go downstairs._

* * *

><p>They made breakfast together and took it outside where Peter was kicking a ball around.<p>

"Good morning, Peter," Ruth smiled at him.

Peter glanced up and a smile spread across his face. "Good morning," he replied, and turning to Harry, he said "Do you want to play ball?"

"In a minute," Harry replied with a chuckle. "Let me eat something first."

Peter came up to them and sat down in a chair, picking up a piece of toast and munching on it. "So what are we doing today?" he asked.

"Harry has to go and get some of his things from his house this morning," Ruth said, "and I need to go to the market. Which do you fancy doing?"

"Can I go with you?" Peter asked Harry.

"Of course," Harry replied.

Ruth smiled. She could see that Peter couldn't get enough of Harry. He'd really missed having a father, and judging from Harry's expression, he was really enjoying having his son close too. She felt so lucky this morning to have both of them with her, to finally have the family she'd longed for, for so long. It was almost too good to be true, and she had to fight hard to not let herself succumb to the fear that she'd loose them both again. Shaking herself free of that thought, she looked at Harry and said, "We should also make some arrangements for Saturday."

"Yes," he answered, his eyes twinkling. "We should talk about that. Let's meet up for lunch."

"Okay," she smiled. "Where?"

"The pub?" he relied.

"Fine," Ruth said, got up, kissed Peter's hair and Harry's lips, and carried the empty plates into the kitchen.

Harry watched her go and said to Peter, "Your mother is the most beautiful woman in the world."

Peter smiled and answered, "I know. Ready to play now?"

"Yup," Harry replied and got up.

* * *

><p>Three hours later they were all sitting at a table in the local pub.<p>

"I went to the Registry Office and set up an appointment for two on Saturday, and I checked with Malcolm, Erin, Margaret, and Dimitri that they can come. What do you think?" Ruth asked Harry.

"I think that's fine," Harry chuckled.

"What?" Ruth asked looking at him suspiciously.

"I was just admiring your organization skills," he said. "Two days ago you were in the hospital, and now you are already recovered enough to plan a wedding."

"Well," Ruth smiled, "who else is going to do it? Oh, and I also arranged for Margaret to come round this afternoon. I'm going shopping with her."

"Is Fred coming too?" Peter interjected.

"No, I'm afraid not," Ruth said.

Peter looked disappointed.

"I could watch the children if you want," Harry offered.

Ruth was surprised at his offer and said, "Are you sure?"

"How hard can it be?" Harry shrugged. "It can't be harder than running Section D."

Ruth laughed and Peter looked at his parents hopefully.

"I'll call Margaret," Ruth said, got up, and left the table to make the phone call.

* * *

><p><em>Harry felt very pleased that he'd made Peter happy. "So what would you like to do if Fred can come this afternoon?" he asked.<em>

_"Play outside," Peter said._

_"I used to love playing outside too when I was your age," Harry smiled. "We used to have a tree house and I spent hours up there."_

_"Cool," Peter said. "Could we build a tree house?"_

_"We'll have to find the right tree," Harry replied_

_Just then Ruth came back and sat down in her chair. "They'll be here at two," she said._

_"Yes!" Peter shouted and punched the air, beaming at them both._

_Harry and Ruth smiled back. It really was a great feeling to make your child happy._

_"We've been busy too," Harry said to Ruth after a few moments, winking at Peter._

_"Oh?" Ruth questioned, looking from one to the other._

_"Yes," Peter said with a mischievous grin. "Dad got you something."_

_Harry felt a warmth spread over his heart when he heard Peter call him Dad, and judging from Ruth's expression and the look they shared, she was experiencing a similar feeling._

_"What?" Peter said looking from one parent to the other._

_"Nothing," they both said at once and smiled._

_Harry put his hand in his pocket, withdraw a small box, and held it out to Ruth. She gasped and took it gently from his hand, her eyes sparkling as she did so. He watched her face as she opened it gingerly, and he knew at once that he'd chosen the right ring for her. It was a thin band of gold with two diamonds set on either side of a sapphire. The three stones were surrounded by an intricate pattern of gold, and engraved on the inside of the gold band were the words, "Quos amor verus tenuit, tenebit." She was speechless with emotion, but the look she gave him said it all. Her hands were trembling as he took the box from her, removed the ring, and taking her left hand, he slid it on her ring finger. _

_"Oh, Harry," Ruth whispered, finally finding her voice. "It's beautiful. It's perfect. Thank you."_

_He reached across the side of the table toward her and kissed her. "My pleasure," he said huskily when he pulled back, and he felt love burn in his heart for her and desire pulse through his body. For a moment, he forgot where they were and all he could see was Ruth._

_"It looks nice on you, Mum," Peter interjected, bringing Harry back to a realization of his surroundings more effectively than a cold shower would have._

_"Thank you, Love," Ruth smiled at their son._

* * *

><p>"So who is Margaret?" Harry asked Ruth as they sipped their tea in the sitting room after they got home. Peter had disappeared outside.<p>

"She's a friend," Ruth replied. "She used to be my neighbour when we first moved back to London, and I got to know her pretty well. She's also a single mother, and her son is only a couple of years older than Peter. When I came back to the Grid, she was Peter's nanny. I think you'll like her. She's honest and speaks her mind freely, though she does have a tendency to tease mercilessly."

"She sounds like quite a character," Harry observed.

"Oh, she is," Ruth smiled.

They drank their tea in companionable silence for a few minutes, and Ruth smiled at the ease they had with each other. She remembered Harry's words from their first and only date all that time ago: "Well, it would have to be somebody who's conversation you enjoyed, yet who understood the need sometimes for quiet."

"What?" Harry broke into her thoughts.

"Nothing," Ruth smiled as she turned to look at him. "Just remembering."

"Something good, I take it," he said.

"The best," she relied and at his puzzled look she added, "Our first date."

Harry nodded, "It was something." He paused and added, "It's been far too long. Would you like to have dinner again?"

"Always," she replied.

"Tomorrow night?" he asked.

"Yes," Ruth said. "Perhaps Peter could sleep over at Margaret's. I'll ask her."

They lapsed back into silence.

"Ruth?" Harry said after a few minutes. "What did you tell Peter about me? About his father I mean?"

Ruth looked at Harry, noting that his face had the familiar unreadable expression of the head of MI-5. It was something she hadn't seen in a month now, and it alarmed her momentarily before she realized that it was just an indication of how nervous Harry was about hearing what she had to say.

"A couple of years ago now," Ruth began, turning to face the fireplace, "Peter heard me refer to George as his step-father. He asked me what that meant, and I explained that George was not his real father. He wanted to know more about you, but at the time, I was not ready to give him more information. He was only six so he accepted what I said without questioning it too much. He hasn't brought up the subject since then, but we should think about when we want to tell him the truth."

"What did you tell him?" Harry asked when Ruth paused for a few moments.

Ruth turned to look at Harry again, her eyes softening as she said, "I told him that I loved his father very much, and that I had wanted to marry him and be with him always. I told him that I had been doing a very dangerous and important job, and that because of that job, I'd left my home, and I couldn't go back. Because of these circumstances, I couldn't let his father know about him. I also told him that his father was a very brave and important man, who would be very proud of him when he finally got to meet him."

Ruth watched as Harry's face softened and he looked at her with eyes full of tenderness. "Thank you," he said and leant over toward her, taking her hand in his and squeezing it gently. "It means a lot to me that you didn't..." He tailed off unable to complete the thought.

"I told him the truth, Harry," she replied earnestly. "You are a good and brave man, and I love you. I always have, even when I was away and thought I'd never see you again. That was the only reason I moved on. I knew you'd never come after me because you always do the right thing, and the right thing was for you to continue the good fight, not to go chasing after me."

He nodded sadly and said, "You have no idea how many times I almost asked Malcolm where you were, so I could board the next plane and find you."

"He told me you'd asked him to keep an eye on me for you, to make sure I was safe," she smiled. "I think he was very grateful for your self-control because he confessed that after I'd moved in... with George, he was dreading you asking him for my location."

"I bet he was," Harry chuckled. Then his face turned serious and he added, "I confess that the reason I didn't ask was because I was scared you'd moved on. After a while, I was so desperate to have you back that it was the only thing that held me in check."

She tightened her grip on his hand and ran her thumb across his knuckles as she murmured, "If you had, Harry, if you'd turned up on my doorstep at any time during my exile, I would have left everyone and everything behind to be with you and Peter. I need you to know that."

He didn't speak, but she saw the relief in his eyes moments before they were flooded by a jumble of emotions that were impossible to identify and caused tears to gather and threaten to fall. As the emotions began to overwhelm him, he turned his face away to gaze at the gas fire as he battled for control, taking deep, steadying breaths and swallowing hard. Giving him a few moments to compose himself, Ruth also turned to look at the fire, but she continued to stroke her thumb across his knuckles in comfort as he held on tightly to her hand. A few minutes passed while they were both lost in their thoughts, and then Harry said presently in a warm voice, "You look tired, Ruth."

"I'm fine," Ruth said, opening her eyes, which had drifted closed for a minute, and turning to look at him.

"I'm worried about you," Harry said with gentle concern. "Go and lie down until Margaret comes."

Ruth was about to argue, but she suddenly realized that Harry was right. "Okay," she nodded, got up, and pressing a kiss to his forehead and running her fingers round his neck and shoulder as she walked passed him, she went upstairs to bed.

* * *

><p>When Ruth came back downstairs, Margaret had already arrived and was sitting outside with Harry, drinking tea. Peter and Fred were playing at pirates from the looks of things, having constructed a fort from some of the empty moving boxes that had been left after Erin and Malcolm had unpacked Ruth's things.<p>

As she walked outside, Margaret was saying, "You know, it's lovely to finally meet you, Harry. Ruth has told me so much about you."

"All good, I hope," Harry replied in an amused tone of voice.

"Not at all," Margaret said, making Ruth cringe. "Most of it was very damning. Though, to be honest, I don't know what she was talking about, now that I see you in person."

"Thank you," Harry smiled.

"I assume a lot of your failings were a result of your job," Margaret went on. "Still, you did take your time now, didn't you? I'm surprised she was still waiting for you when you finally managed to get round to it."

"I must admit that my priorities were a little different then," Harry said defensively. Then he smiled and added, "Better late than never, eh?"

Margaret laughed, and spotting Ruth, she exclaimed, "Ruth! I was just telling Harry that he took too long to-"

"I heard," Ruth interrupted, and feeling the need to defend Harry, she added, "It wasn't all his fault though. He did ask me to marry him last year."

Harry beamed at her and she could see the love shining in his eyes.

"You didn't tell me that!" Margaret exclaimed.

"I think, it's safe to say, that we weren't on the same page until recently," Ruth added, smiling back at Harry.

"Well," Margaret said, "I'm glad you finally got your act together. You make a lovely couple, and I can see that you love each other deeply. That was obvious right from the start though, don't you think? I mean, you would never have produced such a great boy if you were not meant for each other."

Ruth saw Harry raise his eyebrows slightly in surprise before she turned her head in Peter's direction. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was quite far from them and seemed to be engrossed in his pirate game, though she couldn't be sure he hadn't overheard as his back was toward her. Fred certainly seemed to be oblivious to the adult conversation.

"I'm ready to set off when you are, Margaret," Ruth said turning to her friend.

She knew her friend well and loved her very much, but Margaret loved to try to make people feel uncomfortable. It was a hobby of sorts for her, and it had been amusing at times to watch people's response to it. However, in the present circumstances, she felt the need to rescue Harry.

"All right," Margaret said taking the hint. "See you later, Harry. Bye, Fred."

"Bye," Peter, Fred, Harry, and Ruth said almost at the same time.

Harry got up and kissed Ruth tenderly before she left. "Don't tire yourself out, will you?" he warned, and then turning to Margaret he added, "She doesn't want to admit it, but she still hasn't recovered completely."

"Don't worry, Harry," Margaret smiled. "I'll take good care of her. I might come across as a bit of a bitch at first, but I assure you it's only an act."

Harry and Ruth laughed at the last comment, and the women headed for the door with assurances that they would not be back too late.

* * *

><p><em>Ruth looked exhausted when she finally got home, and Harry was very worried. <em>

"_You will be please to know that we were successful in our quest," Margaret declared as they walked in. "Ruth, however, was a bit of a pain, and I am afraid that she overdid things despite my admonishments and warnings."_

_Ruth rolled her eyes, and Harry smiled in spite of himself. _"_Sit down, Love," he said to Ruth, "and I'll make some tea."_

_Ruth sank into the sofa gratefully while Harry disappeared into the kitchen. He was surprised when Margaret followed him and offered to help. She began to chat away about this and that, and he found that he began to warm toward her. He knew that his first impression was not accurate as he couldn't imagine Ruth being friends with anyone who was not a good, kind person, and it was obvious that she had done a great job with Fred. _

_He'd enjoyed his afternoon with the boys, and they'd played all sorts of games from Lego to Cops and Robbers. They had even identified a tree in their back yard that might support a tree house. Harry was sure that he would have to add a couple of polls for support, but it would give the illusion of a tree house if it was properly constructed. He was planning to ask Malcolm to help build it. He was also planning to ask Graham to lend a hand. He hoped that his son would say yes. He'd e-mailed his children this morning as he did not have current phone numbers for them. He hadn't received a reply yet, but even though he didn't really expect one today, he was still a little anxious. Having Ruth and Peter in his life, even if only for just under thirty-two hours, had made him realize how much he wanted to be close to his children, all his children._

_He wasn't sure how his two eldest would react to the news that they had a brother, or that he was getting married, so he hadn't said anything about it in his e-mail. He'd just given them his phone number, told them that he was back in England, that he'd retired, and that he'd like to see them. And if they didn't reply... He pushed the thought away quickly, concentrating on making Ruth's tea._

_"The boys and I made dinner," Harry told Margaret presently. "It's spaghetti Bolonaise and a large salad. Peter and Fred are quite the salad chefs. They eat much healthier than I do. You ladies have done an excellent job."_

_"Thanks, Harry," Margaret beamed. "You have no idea how wonderful that is to hear. I'll get the boys while you get Ruth, all right?"_

_"Okay," Harry replied, picking up the steaming cup of tea and walking into the living room._

_Ruth was fast asleep on the sofa. He walked up to her and smiled down at her. He loved to watch her sleep. It was such a lovely change to see a peaceful expression on her face instead of the worried or serious expression he had seen there for so long on the Grid. He reached down, and pushed her hair back from her face, tucking it behind her ear. She stirred at the contact and sighed contentedly but didn't wake, so he bent down and kissed her cheek softly, murmuring her name. She sighed again and her eyes slowly drifted open._

_"Hi," he said tenderly._

_"Sorry," Ruth replied, her voice husky from sleep. "Did I fall asleep?"_

_"Yes," Harry smiled, "but you needed it. Here's your tea and supper's ready."_

_"How lovely," Ruth smiled, sat up, and taking the tea, she took a sip._

_"I'm starving," Peter's voice drifted in from the kitchen._

_"Me too," Fred added. "I could eat a horse."_

_"Yuck," Peter said. "I'd never eat a horse."_

_"It's an expression, dummy," Fred countered._

_"Fred," his mother warned, "no name calling, please."_

_"Sorry, Mum," Fred said. "Sorry, Peter."_

_"Let's go eat," Ruth said and got up._

* * *

><p>After dinner Margaret and Fred left. The boys were happy to hear that Peter would be going round the next day for a sleep-over. Harry went off to clean up the kitchen, while Ruth sent Peter up to get ready for bed. A few minutes later she followed him up, and found him snuggled up under the covers waiting for stories.<p>

They read another chapter of "Secret Agents Four", then Ruth kissed him goodnight and was about to leave when Peter said, "Mum?"

Ruth could tell from the tone of his voice that something was bothering him, so she sat back down on the bed and waited for him to speak.

"What did Margaret mean today?" he asked timidly.

Ruth sighed and realized what he was talking about. "You mean when she said that Harry and I had made such a great boy?" she asked.

Peter nodded.

"Do you remember when I explained to you that George was your step-father?" Ruth began and Peter nodded again. "I told you then that your father was someone I loved very much and would have married if I hadn't needed to leave so suddenly. Well, that man is Harry," Ruth continued.

"You mean that he's my real dad?" Peter asked. "Why didn't you tell me before? Why didn't he come to live with us when we came back here?" he added in a hurt voice.

Ruth sighed and said, "Let me see if I can explain. Harry and I worked together in the Security Services. Do you know what that is?"

Peter shook his head.

"We were spies," Ruth explained.

"Cool," Peter grinned.

"It was cool," Ruth smiled, "but it was also very dangerous. Powerful people tried to do some bad things and Harry stopped them. They knew that he loved me, and so they tried to stop him by making things difficult for me. I had to leave very quickly, before I knew that you were growing inside me. It was really hard for both of us to be apart, but I was lucky because I had you. At first, I couldn't tell Dad about you because people thought I was dead, and because I was scared he'd try to find me and put himself and us in danger. I thought that I would never be able to go back, and so I tried to make a life for us in Cyprus and I married George. He really loved us both."

"But poor Dad!" Peter said sadly.

"Then some bad people tried to catch us and they killed your step-father," Ruth sighed. "So we came to live back here, and Dad fixed it for me so that I could come back and I worked with him again. I'm not sure if I can explain this very well, Peter, but I was scared for us: you, me, and Dad. When you're a spy you try to protect everyone, but sometimes you just can't. Your dad was the head spy, and he had a very difficult job. He was brave and good, but he had to work very hard and bad people tried to stop him doing his job by hurting the people he cared about."

"Like us?" Peter asked, wide-eyed.

"Yes," Ruth smiled. "I didn't want you to get hurt, and I knew that Dad had to work very hard and had little time to spend with us. So I didn't tell him about you. He only found out that he was your father while I was in hospital. I'm sorry, Love. Perhaps I made a mistake by not telling you and Dad, but I tried to do my best. Please, will you forgive me?"

"It's okay, Mum," Peter replied, "but I'm glad that Dad's here now."

"Yes," Ruth smiled, "and we don't have to share him with everyone else in the country."

The door opened and Harry walked in.

"Dad!" Peter exclaimed, "You used to be a spy? That is _so_ cool. Can you tell me some of your adventures?"

Harry looked questioningly at Ruth, who nodded, confirming that Peter knew the truth.

Harry smiled and said, "I might be able to, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even Fred or Rosie."

"I promise," Peter said solemnly.

"You also mustn't tell anyone that Dad and I were spies," Ruth put in.

"I won't," Peter assured her.

"I'll think about it and tell you one tomorrow because it's far too late now," Harry said.

"Oh, Daaad," Peter whined.

"Not tonight, Peter," Ruth said firmly, and then added in a softened tone of voice, "Goodnight, Love."

"Goodnight," Peter sighed, giving up, lying down, and returning her embrace as she lent over him to kiss him goodnight.

"Goodnight, Son," Harry said and bent down to kiss his head.

"Night," he murmured, and a few seconds later, he'd dropped off to sleep.

Harry took Ruth's hand and they tiptoed out of the room, closing the door behind them and turning to go down stairs.

"How does he fall asleep so fast?" Ruth wondered.

"Takes after me," Harry grinned. "You told him?"

"Yes," she replied. "He overhead what Margaret said. He took the whole thing rather well. He's so relaxed about everything. I've no idea who he gets _that_ from."

"Your dad," Harry said immediately.

"You know, you're probably right," Ruth replied thoughtfully. "He's rather taken with the whole spy idea. I do hope he doesn't take it into his head to join the service," she added, frowning as she spoke.

"A good spy needs a good hideout," Harry chuckled. "Tomorrow we start work on the tree house. I just called Malcolm and he's coming round to help. Don't look so worried. If he does want to become a spook, we won't be able to stop him, you know. Besides, it's a bit early to start worrying isn't it?"

"You're right," Ruth sighed as they reached the bottom of the stairs and turned toward the kitchen.

"I'm what?" Harry teased. "I didn't quite catch that. Say it again."

Ruth smiled and poked his side, "Something wrong with your hearing? Could it be old age?"

"Old age?" Harry exclaimed as they walked into the kitchen, "Are you telling me that, after last night and this morning, you believe that I am suffering from old age?"

Ruth laughed, and stepping in front of him, she kissed him firmly on the lips. Harry let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a fierce embrace while he sampled her mouth slowly, deliberately, using his tongue and lips to explore and excite, until Ruth was moaning with pleasure. She slid her arms over his shoulders, interlaced her fingers in his hair and pulled his head down, deepening the kiss. Their breathing grew heavy, and Harry took several steps forward, pushing Ruth against the wall and trapping her between it and his chest. One of his hands travelled up from her hip along her rib cage to her breast, cupping and squeezing it delightfully. Soon it wasn't enough, however, so loosening the pressure against her chest, he let his hand slide under her blouse and round to her back, where with an expert motion, he quickly unclasped her bra before bringing his hand back round to caress her full breasts. Ruth gasped at the contact, marvelling at how quickly he could make her burn with desire for him.

Running her hands down his back, she brought them round his waist to loosen his belt and unbutton his trousers. She could feel his erection pressing against her belly, and felt an answering pull deep inside herself. She needed him inside her, so she quickly wiggled out of her underwear just as Harry began gathering up her skirt. The hand tugging on her nipple let go and pushed her blouse up and out of the way so that his mouth could close over her breast, just as his other hand slid under her skirt, his thumb pressing firmly against her clit and making circular motions that made her body tremble and vibrate all over.

* * *

><p><em>He heard her moan and felt her right leg wrap around his waist as she freed his manhood from his boxer shorts. "Ruth," he groaned releasing her breast as she guided him to her soft core and he slid inside her. <em>

_He felt her other leg wrap around him and he began thrusting into her, pushing her against the wall and enjoying the way she moaned his name with every stroke. Moments later, he felt her body contract around him as she found her release and he followed her with his own, spilling deep inside her. It had only taken a handful of strokes to bring them to a climax. He had never known such a perfect match before. Her legs slid down his sides and he held her close as they steadied each other, kissing her hair and whispering words of love. _

_"That was...," Ruth whispered, "That was..."_

_"I know," he purred in her ear._

_"I think you've proved your point," Ruth smiled against his chest._

_"My point?" Harry asked, a little confused._

_"You know," Ruth said, unwilling to repeat her earlier comment._

_"Oh," Harry smirked, looking down at her as her meaning dawned on him. "You mean your earlier comment about my age?"_

_"Yes," Ruth grinned, meeting his eye. They held each other's gaze for a moment and then Ruth asked, "Would you like some tea?"_

_"That sounds good," Harry replied. "I'll make it," he volunteered, kissing her softly before he released her and began to rearrange his clothing._

_"I'll just go..." Ruth tailed off and headed toward the bathroom, leaving a happy Harry to whistle as he washed his hands and put the kettle on. _

* * *

><p>A little later they were sitting on the sofa drinking their tea. Harry had his arm around her shoulders and Ruth was leaning into his side with her feet tucked in sideways under her long skirt.<p>

"I know it has been only two days that we've been together," Ruth whispered, "but if feels like it's been forever."

"I get the same feeling," Harry replied and kissed her hair. After a pause he added, "I sent an email to Catherine and Graham today."

"I was hoping you might," Ruth said. "They haven't replied yet, have they?"

"No," Harry sighed and Ruth could feel his disappointment and concern.

"I'm sure they will," Ruth reassured him squeezing his knee.

"I hope so," Harry said. "I just don't know how they'll react to all this," he added sweeping his arm in an all encompassing motion.

"I'm sure they'll come round in the end," Ruth said. "All children need their father, Harry. They'll come round when they realize that you're here for them now. It might be rough at first though. You must be prepared for that. I am here for you and for them if you need me."

"Thank you," Harry said looking down at her with soft, loving eyes.

She just smiled and cuddled closer to him. She loved feeling so close to him both physically and emotionally. She'd been alone for so long that, sometimes, she still found it hard to believe that it wasn't all a dream.

"What are we doing about our wedding?" she suddenly asked.

"Whatever you want to," Harry replied.

"Don't you have any opinions or desires regarding the whole thing?" Ruth asked in surprise.

"As long as we actually get married, I really don't care about the rest," Harry smiled.

"Okay," Ruth smiled back. "I'll arrange it all with Margaret's help while you build your tree house."

"It's Peter's tree house," Harry corrected.

"Uhu," Ruth chuckled. "Pull the other one, it's got bells on."

Harry laughed.

"It's good to hear you laugh," Ruth smiled. "It's been an all too rare occurrence."

Harry squeezed her shoulder affectionately in response.

"Come on," Ruth said presently, getting up from the sofa, "I'm getting cold here. Let's go to bed."

"All right," Harry replied, allowing her to take his hand and pull him up. "I'll just check the doors and windows."

"Thanks," Ruth smiled. "I'll see you upstairs."


	11. Wednesday

_**Wednesday**_

"_Owwww," Harry exhaled the following morning as something heavy landed on him._

"_Sorry, Dad," Peter grinned._

"_That's one door I forgot to lock," Harry mumbled into the pillow as he rolled over onto his stomach, and pulling one knee up, turned to face the wall. _

_He felt Ruth chuckle next to him. _"_Good morning, Peter," she said cheerfully. _

"_Hi, Mum," Peter said sliding off his father and rushing to the window to draw the curtains._

* * *

><p>Harry mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like, "There's nothing bloody good about it," as he pulled the covers over his head to shield his eyes from the light.<p>

"I'm going to get breakfast," Peter declared and sprinted from the room.

Ruth looked after him and smiled. Then she looked at Harry next to her and decided that he needed some cheering up. She ducked under the covers, and began to slowly caress Harry's back and to plant wet kisses along his shoulders to his neck. A moan escaped his lips as Ruth's hand travelled slowly south along his side and slipped underneath him to caress his belly. He shifted onto his side with his back toward her, giving her better access, and she continued the journey of her wondering hand, moving it down over his naked body to his groin and gently stroking his thighs. Harry groaned with pleasure as he felt her hand grab hold of his growing erection. With a firm grip, Ruth slid her hand up and down his shaft as she lent over him and planted kisses over his shoulders, along his chest, licking his nipples and causing waves of pleasure to travel through his body.

"Ruth," he whispered as he came closer to his orgasm, trying to get her to understand that he couldn't hold on much longer. He tried to move, but she held him down with the weight of her body.

"Let go," she murmured in his ear before she took his earlobe in her mouth and sucked on it.

"Ruth," he said once more as his seed spilled into her hand and he shuddered in ecstasy.

A few seconds later, Peter walked into the room again.

"Mum, Dad," he said, "Come on! Get up!"

Ruth popped her head out from under the covers and said, "All right, I'm up."

She scrambled out of the bed and headed for the bathroom, saying, "Please put the kettle on, Peter."

"Okay," he called from the stairs as he'd already left the room.

When Ruth returned to the bedroom, Harry was sitting up in bed leaning against the pillows he'd stacked behind his back. "Good morning," he smiled.

"I'm glad you think so now," Ruth teased.

"Lock the door and come back to bed," Harry murmured in a low husky voice.

"No," Ruth shook her head. "Much as I would like to, I don't think that would be very fair to Peter, and I think that Malcolm will probably be here shortly as it's already nine." She began getting dressed as she spoke and added, "Besides, I have a lot of work to do today."

She turned around to look for a blouse in the wardrobe. She was very pleased with the result of her efforts earlier. It was quite something to know that she could excite Harry so much that he just couldn't hold back. Suddenly, she felt Harry wrap his arms around her and pull her against his body so that her back was flush against his chest.

"Thank you," he whispered in her ear in a low husky voice that sent shivers running through her.

She sighed, lent against him, and whispered back, "My pleasure."

"Later," he promised. "I'll take care of your pleasure later."

Her body trembled with anticipation at his words. He kissed her shoulder, and releasing her slowly, he went to have his shower and shave.

* * *

><p><em>Just as they'd finished breakfast, Malcolm arrived and they were all very pleased to see him. Peter claimed all his attention at first, and Ruth insisted that he eat something and asked him a lot of questions about himself and his mother. Then she proceed to invite him to bring her round for a meal sometime later in the week, and they finally settled on Friday lunchtime. Harry was secretly admiring how well she cared for the people she loved. <em>

_"You look good," Malcolm said to Harry as soon as Ruth and Peter had left the room to go and pack his things for the sleep over that evening._

_"I feel great," Harry replied with a lazy smile, "but I imagine, it's impossible to feel otherwise when you have Ruth taking care of you."_

_"You are a very lucky man," Malcolm conceded with a smile._

_"I know," Harry said his face suddenly serious. "It really is incredible to be here with Ruth and Peter."_

_Malcolm nodded quietly before taking a sip of his tea. Then he said, "You're good for her, Harry. I've never seen her so happy before... Peter too."_

_Harry nodded, silently thanking his friend. He knew that Malcolm had got to know Ruth well over the past few years since her return to England, and it meant a lot to him to know that he was making such a difference. _

_"So where are we building this tree house?" Malcolm asked._

_"Come outside and give me your opinion," Harry said as he rose from the table. "And here comes Peter," he added when he heard his son thundering down the stairs._

* * *

><p>The two men and Peter went outside, and Ruth watched them through the window as she went about her daily housekeeping and attempted to organize things in the kitchen as whoever had moved her bellongings in certainly did not have her organization skills. It made her feel all warm inside to see them talking and laughing together. A few minutes later they came in, and Harry announced that they were going to the D.I.Y. store to get supplies. Malcolm said that he had brought some things with him that they could use, and they all set off together, leaving Ruth to enjoy some peace and quiet at home. She suddenly realized that she hadn't had a single moment to herself since she'd stepped foot in this house, and she took full advantage of the time by going upstairs and running a bath for herself. These were some of the moments that a single parent missed out on, she thought as she lowered herself into the hot, lavender scented bath with a sigh of contentment.<p>

When she came downstairs, she found the "Bob the Builders" as she now called them affectionately, much to their chagrin, outside working on their project. She made herself some tea and sat down with a notebook and her phone to work on her wedding plans. By lunch time, she'd made good progress with the small wedding she was planning, and entering the kitchen, she made sandwiches and fresh juice for everyone, which she carried outside. They all sat down to lunch and Peter eagerly explained their progress to his mother.

* * *

><p><em>Harry's mobile phone rang in the middle of their lunch, and he jumped up to answer it, a worried expression crossing his face as he walked into the house. Now that he wasn't working, not many people had his number and he felt sure that this was one of his children.<em>

_"Hello?" he said tentatively._

_"Hello?" a male voice replied. "May I please speak to Harry Pearce, please?"_

_"Speaking," Harry said, unable to recognize the voice._

_"Dad," the man murmured. "Dad, it's me. Graham."_

_"Hello, Graham," Harry said, keeping the nerves he felt out of his voice. "It's good to hear from you. You got my message then."_

_"Yes," Graham replied in a reserved tone of voice._

_"Listen," Harry said, relaxing a little as he sensed that his son was as nervous as he was. "I'd like to see you. Do you have time to meet? I am pretty flexible now that I've retired and could meet you anywhere you like."_

_"Okay," he replied. "Tomorrow? For lunch? I'm in London, so anywhere there would work for me."_

_"Great," Harry smiled. "Let's meet at St. James' at half past twelve. Okay?"_

_"Fine," Graham agreed. "See you there."_

_"And, Graham?" Harry asked. "Is this your phone number?"_

_"Yes," Graham replied. "It's my mobile. Bye, Dad."_

_"Bye, Son," he murmured. _

_The line went dead and Harry exhaled deeply. He was going to see Graham again. It had been four years since he'd last seen him. He sighed heavily. He hadn't even recognized his voice! What kind of father doesn't even recognize his own son's voice, he thought in disgust. He raised his free hand to his face and rubbed at it, realizing that he needed to stop blaming himself. He was a different man now and he was going to do his best to make up for his past mistakes. He put his phone back in his pocket and went outside to rejoin the others. _

_Ruth looked at him questioningly. "Graham," he mouthed to her and gave her a reassuring smile, which she returned. He knew she was worried for him, and he felt a warmth spread across his heart. As long as she looked at him like that, he felt that there was nothing he could not do._

* * *

><p>The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Malcolm left at around four and promised to come back tomorrow afternoon. At six o'clock Harry and Peter were waiting for Ruth to come downstairs so they could leave. A few minutes later, she appeared in the doorway dressed in a knee length blue dress that matched the colour of her eyes. The material clung to her curves perfectly, and although the design was simple, it was very elegant. Harry's mouth dropped open when he saw her, and he seemed to loose his voice for a few heartbeats.<p>

"Wow, Mum!" Peter exclaimed. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, Love," Ruth smiled at her son before turning her eyes on Harry again. She was really enjoying the effect she was having on him. She'd never seen him speechless before.

"Stunning," Harry murmured. Then a little more loudly, he said, "You look stunning."

"Thank you, Harry," she smiled. "Shall we go?" she asked as she noticed that Harry had not moved a muscle and was still staring.

"Yes," he relied, snapping out of his trance and offering her his arm.

* * *

><p><em>They dropped Peter off at Margaret's house and then they went out to dinner. He'd booked a table at the same restaurant that he'd taken her all those years ago, and when they arrived, he could see that she was pleased with his choice.<em>

_"White Burgundy?" he asked her as the waiter approached._

_"Yes, please," she smiled. _

_"It hasn't changed much, has it?" he commented._

_"No," Ruth agreed, "not much. Have you been here since..."_

_"Yes," he answered. "I tried to come alone once after you left, but I just couldn't do it. I had to leave a few minutes after I'd arrived." His eyes were sad as he added, "I couldn't look at the bread rolls."_

_Ruth reached across the table and squeezed his hand and he linked his fingers with hers. _

_"Love like ours," Harry said, "is very rare in my experience. I realize now that, if things had worked out differently, I would have been able to go through life with just the memories to sustain me because I would have felt your presence in my heart forever. Our hearts will always be together, Ruth. But what we have now... It's a blessing that few ever have, and I often wonder what I ever did to deserve it."_

_He felt tears gather in his eyes and he blinked them away. As he gazed at her, he noticed that hers were already rolling down her cheeks, so he took his handkerchief from his pocket, and gently, wiped them away._

_"You never fail to surprise me, Harry Pearce," Ruth said in a wobbly voice. "You are a true romantic at heart and a poet at times."_

_He watched Ruth lean toward him and he mirrored her motion until their lips met for a short, chaste kiss, which carried a meaning deeper than the ocean._

* * *

><p>Their food arrived and they ate, enjoying each other's company and reacquainting themselves with each others' lives. Even though they felt as if they had always been together, in reality, they had only been with each other for three days. There was a lot to talk about and a lot to be decided, regarding their life together. After dinner, Harry took Ruth to his house rather than heading home. Ruth was very curious about seeing it as she'd only been inside it once, a long time ago, and at the time, she'd only been into the kitchen. Harry seemed to take pleasure in showing her around, and they discussed which furniture and artwork they might want to bring to their home in Sussex as they walked through the rooms downstairs.<p>

They drifted back into the kitchen, and Harry located some tea and chocolate biscuits, but unfortunately no milk. They drank in comfortable silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts.

"I'd like to take you to Paris for our honeymoon," Harry cut into the silence suddenly.

Ruth merely smiled happily at him.

"I'd like to take you on the Grand Tour really," Harry admitted, "but I don't think that now is the right time for that."

"Perhaps in the summer," Ruth replied, "but I would love to go to Paris for a few days with you. Margaret offered to take Peter for a week."

"That's good," Harry nodded and Ruth smiled as she remembered the other occasions when Harry had used those two words. He'd been much more reserved then, and she happily realized how much more open he was now.

They lapsed back into silence, and Ruth thought about how odd it felt to be here in Harry's house.

"I have imagined you sitting here with me so many times," Harry volunteered after a bit, and as she raised her eyes to his, she saw that they were dark with desire.

"Right here?" Ruth asked innocently.

"Here," Harry said huskily, "and elsewhere."

"Show me," she invited leaning forward and holding out her hand to him.

His lips formed a small smile as he took her hand in his and placed a kiss on her knuckles. Then he got up and lead her up the stairs. Once on the landing, he opened the door straight ahead of them and guided her into the room. Ruth was surprised to find herself in his bathroom. Harry looked into her eyes, lifted her hand to his lips once more and released her. Then he reached toward the shower and turned on the water before returning his attention to her.

"Ravishing," he growled. "That's want I wanted to say earlier when I first saw you in this dress, but I couldn't in front of Peter. I swear my heart stopped beating for a few seconds."

He pulled her forward, making her loose her balance and tumble into his arms. He kissed her neck with slow, open mouthed kisses, and she sighed contentedly, leaning her head back and closing her eyes, focusing entirely on the feel of his mouth on her skin. Slowly, he turned her round to face the door as he continued to kiss her neck, and his fingers brushed against her arms, her shoulders, and then down to caress her breasts through the thin material of her dress. She moaned as his fingers grazed over her nipples and gasped when he rolled one of them between his thumb and finger causing it to harden. Slowly he brought one hand to the zip at the back of her dress and began lowering it. Ruth felt the material loosen around her and then slide down her body to pool around her ankles.

* * *

><p><em>Harry ran his hands down her back, slowly, sensually, enjoying the feel of her soft curves. Quickly, he removed his jacket and tie, and unbuttoned his shirt, before pulling her to him, pressing her against his bare chest as he slid his hands over the front of her body. She lent her head back onto his shoulder and whispered his name. Deftly, he removed her underwear and the rest of his clothing, and taking her hand, he turned her around and slid his eyes over every inch of her, drinking her in like a man dying of thirst. <em>

_He guided her into the shower and watched as the water cascaded down over her skin. She was magnificent. He put soap on his hands and started to slide them over her, exploring every inch of her body. He watched her give herself up to the sensations he was creating and he marvelled at her beauty. After rinsing his hands, he moved them down to her moist core and began to pleasure her in earnest while his mouth toyed with her breasts. She moaned with pleasure and ran her hands through his hair, pulling him close as her orgasm overtook her. He wrapped his arms around her and supported her weight as she slumped against him breathing hard. _

_Slowly she came round and looked at him, and as their eyes met, his breath caught. She was looking at him as if he was the most precious person in the world. He lifted her, pushing her against the shower wall, and she wrapped her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as he entered her slowly._

* * *

><p>He was moving inside her in a perfect rhythm and she felt another orgasm fast approaching. She dimly realized that this was the best love making she'd ever experienced before she shuddered against him and all ability to think disappeared. He withdrew from inside her and switched the water off before guiding her out of the shower. He dried her gently with a soft towel and quickly patted himself dry.<p>

* * *

><p><em>With pride he noticed that she still had her eyes closed and was a little unsteady on her feet. Gently he supported her as he took her to his bedroom, pulling back the covers and helping her into bed. Then he got in next to her and lay down propping himself on one elbow to watch her. She lay on her back beside him and sighed contentedly, smiling softly. <em>

_Slowly she opened her eyes and looked around the room, taking in the decor, furniture, and atmosphere of his bedroom. "Very Harry," she said eventually._

_He chuckled and pulled her close, pressing a soft kiss to her lips as she slid her leg between his and ran her hand across his forearm. She felt his erection pressing against her leg, and frowning at him slightly, she said with concern, "You didn't?"_

_"It's okay," he answered, his eyes full of love._

_"No," she replied. "I want it to be perfect for both of us."_

_"It is," he insisted._

_"It will be," she promised, and pushing him onto his back, she straddled him and guided him inside her once more._

_He inhaled sharply and screwed his eyes shut for a moment before opening them again as she began to rock back and forth on top of him. His hands slid up her body to her breasts, squeezing them gently and rubbing her nipples with his thumbs. She lifted one of his hands and took each of his fingers in turn into her mouth, licking and sucking each one until he groaned aloud. Knowing he was approaching the edge, he dropped his free hand to her clit and began massaging it exactly as he thrust his pelvis up to meet her, and a few seconds later, they both came. Their bodies shuddered as their orgasms ripped through them and they groaned their release as Ruth collapsed on top of him, completely spent. His whole body felt light and tingled all over, and his last thought before he fell asleep was that he'd died and gone to heaven. Neither of them stirred until morning. _


	12. Thursday

_**Thursday**_

Ruth awoke to find herself on top of Harry. Memories of the night before flashed through her mind and she smiled happily. She could hear Harry's steady heartbeat as she lay against his chest and she wondered how he'd managed to sleep all night with her on top of him.

She placed her hands on the mattress on either side of him in order to lift herself off him without waking him, but as soon as she began to lift her weight, she heard him murmur, "Don't."

She lifted her head and looked at him. His eyelids fluttered open and she felt a warm glow settle ove her heart as he looked at her with those mesmerizing hazel eyes. She smiled and snuggled back down on him, focusing her attention on his heartbeat once more.

"These last hours have been the best of my entire life," he said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"Mmmmm," was all that she could manage.

Her body felt so relaxed that she didn't believe she could get up in the next few hours.

* * *

><p><em>"What time is it?" Ruth asked after a while.<em>

_He turned his head round and glanced at the clock._

_"Twenty to eleven," he said with surprise._

_"Really?" was her incredulous response._

_"Yes," he assured her. "Do you have somewhere you need to be?"_

_There was a pause before she answered, "Well, we do need to pick up Peter and Malcolm said he'd be round today."_

_"After lunch," he replied. "He said he'd come round after lunch."_

_"But you're having lunch with Graham today," Ruth reminded him._

_"Yes, I am," Harry smiled. "I suppose we'd better get moving then."_

_"Yes," Ruth murmured unconvinced._

_He held her in his arms a little while longer and stroked her hair._

_"I'm not sure I can stand up," Ruth murmured after a bit. "None of my parts seem to be working properly."_

_"I'll catch you if you fall," Harry chuckled._

_Ruth pushed herself off Harry and sat up. Then she placed her feet on the floor, stood up, and stretched as Harry openly stared at her beautiful, naked body._

_"If you do that for much longer," Harry growled, "I am going to have to pull you back into bed."_

* * *

><p>She knew he was teasing, but she loved it just the same. She smiled at him and went off to have a shower, and a few minutes later Harry knocked on the bathroom door.<p>

"May I come in?" he asked.

"It's open," she called back. When he entered the bathroom, she said, "I was hoping you'd join me."

He smiled and got in the shower with her. Her hands were soapy and she ran them across his chest and over his shoulders.

"I think I might die if we do this again right now," Harry admitted reluctantly.

"I think I might too," Ruth smiled up at him realizing that he was a little embarrassed at his admission.

He smiled back and said, "It wouldn't be a bad way to go, all things considered."

"Oh, but I am not ready to do that just yet," Ruth responded. "I've waited too many years for us to throw it all away after only three days."

"And nights," he pointed out with a chuckle.

"And nights," she agreed as she reached up and kissed him before stepping out of the shower and leaving him to finish his shower alone.

* * *

><p><em>"Bother," he heard her say as he turned off the water and stepped out onto the bathmat. <em>

_"Bother?" he repeated, amused at her choice of words._

_"Winnie-the-Pooh," she replied._

_"What about him?" Harry asked somewhat confused now._

_"He says 'bother' a lot," Ruth replied with a smile. "One of my favourite books," she added, "and a great word to use when frustrated and you're in front of children."_

_"Children?" Harry raised his eyebrows._

_"It's become somewhat of a habit, I'm afraid," Ruth replied with a grin._

_"So what's bothering you?" Harry said, deciding to let her off the hook._

_"I just realized that I'm going to have to wear this lovely evening gown again today," she replied, picking it up, holding it out in front of her, and surveying it._

_Harry had a sudden vision of her in the gown flash through his mind and he said, "I wouldn't mind."_

_Ruth threw her towel at him in mock indignation, which he easily caught and proceeded to use to dry himself. _

_"Wait a minute," he said a moment later, and wrapping the towel around his waist, he left the bathroom._

_About half a minute later, he came back in with a bag that he handed to her. He watched her unzip it and look inside. A smile spread across her face as she looked from the bag to him and back again._

_"Oh, Harry," she sighed. "You're so thoughtful. Thank you."_

_She reached up, kissed his cheek and then started pulling things out of the bag. He had brought her a change of clothes and her toiletries as he had planned on bringing her here after their date._

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, they were in the car heading over to pick up Peter, which they did successfully, though not before enduring some merciless teasing from Margaret. Peter didn't mind a bit about them being late as he'd been playing with Fred. It was lucky that this week the boys didn't have school.<p>

They got home, unloaded the car, and Harry set off again to meet Graham. A little while later Ruth and Peter set off for Harry's house. She wanted to surprise him by arranging for the delivery of some of his things to their home. Armed with several sticky note pads of different colour and a pen, she and Peter went around the rooms labelling the furniture and other things. They loaded a few paintings, photographs, and smaller items, some of which were useful, like Harry's kettle which did not leak, unlike her own, and others which she thought Harry would appreciate having for sentimental reasons. There were not a lot of personal belongings in the house. Harry had not spent much time in it over the years. She found Scarlet's dog bowl and took that too. She knew that Scarlet had passed away the year before, but Peter had wanted to take the bowl and lead. He still remembered Scarlet and hoped that they would have a dog one day.

Once back at the house, they had just finished finding a home for all the new things when Harry called. He was bringing Graham home with him. When Ruth hang up the phone, she put the kettle on and tried to figure out what she could say to Peter to prepare him for meeting a brother that he didn't know he had. She sighed and silently prayed that there would be no more difficult revelations to make after this one. She made some tea and called Peter into the kitchen.

"Peter," she began with a frown.

"What's wrong, Mum?" Peter asked at once in a worried voice.

"Nothing bad, Love," Ruth reassured him with a smile. "I'm just not quite sure how to begin."

"Begin at the beginning," Peter suggested confidently once he was certain that this was not bad news.

Ruth laughed and said, "Okay. Your father was married once before, some years ago."

"Oh," Peter murmured in surprise.

"He's divorced now, but while he was married, he had two children," Ruth continued.

"Children?" Peter repeated incredulously.

"Yes," Ruth replied, "You have a brother called Graham and a sister called Catherine. They're much older than you. They're grown up. Dad hasn't talked to them in a long time, and that's why we haven't mentioned it before. Dad went to meet Graham for lunch today, and when he called just now, he said that he's bringing Graham home with him."

"Now?!" Peter exclaimed in excitement.

"Yes," Ruth replied. "They should be here in quarter of an hour."

"Great," Peter grinned and ran up to his room, leaving Ruth staring at the door, wondering how it was that her son coped so well with all the changes in his life. Nothing seemed to phase him... apart from George's death. That had been very hard.

* * *

><p><em>Harry was very pleased with how things were going with Graham. Though reserved at first, Graham had began to open up when he saw how relaxed and interested Harry really was. Harry learned that he had a job in a landscaping company, and he talked about it with great excitement once he realized that Harry did not think less of him for it. Harry was pleased that he liked his job so much, and he began to remember how Graham had always enjoyed being outdoors and helping his mother in the garden. He looked good. Much stronger and more confident that he had been last time he'd set eyes on him. Graham had proudly told him that he'd been clean for one year and seven months now, and when he'd ordered sparkling water, Harry had done the same in a gesture of support. That's what had broken the ice between them. <em>

_Half way through their meal, Graham started to ask Harry questions about himself. Harry was somewhat selective in his revelations at first, but he noticed that Graham picked up on it immediately. He saw the first signs of his son's emotional withdrawal and realized that he was employing the wrong tactic. _

_"I'm sorry, Graham," he sighed, "Old habits die hard, eh? What do you want to know? I'll do my best to be honest as long as it's not a matter of national security."_

_Graham smiled at the joke and said, "Okay. What made you decide to retire?"_

_"It was a cumulation of many things. Partly it was events beyond my control. I was arrested by the CIA for one, but I can't talk about that. I also realized that my priorities had shifted. I could no longer put Queen and Country first, above all else. I realized that I had failed you, Catherine, and your mother. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Son."_

_"You were, Dad," Graham said, surprising Harry. "Just not when I needed you most."_

_"I know," Harry sighed. "I can't change the past, but I will promise you that I will make time for you now and in the future. Anything you need, I'll be here for you."_

_"That would be nice," Graham said. "Do you still live in the same house?"_

_"No," Harry replied, and after a momentary hesitation, he continued, "There's another reason that I left the service, Graham... I met someone. She worked with me for years, and despite our feelings for each other, we never managed to act on them. We tried almost nine years ago, but circumstances were not in our favour. She had to leave the country suddenly without much hope of ever being able to return. I was... devastated, but I had to keep going; she left so that I could keep fighting the good fight. Then she came back about two years ago, again under very sad and difficult circumstances. She came back to work, but we could never manage to work things out between us. Then about a month ago, she asked me to leave the service and come to live with her, but a few minutes later she almost died in my arms, protecting me. I knew then that, if she lived, I would leave the service to be with her, whatever the cost."_

_Harry looked at his son and saw understanding in his eyes. He did not condemn or judge, he just accepted. _

_"I'm glad that you're with her, Dad," Graham finally said. "I can see that she makes you happy. You look good."_

_"Thank you," Harry replied, somewhat taken aback by the maturity and understanding of his son. "There is one more thing that I want to tell you," Harry continued wanting to get all the revelations over with as soon as possible. "A little more than eight years ago Ruth, that's her name, gave birth to a boy. His name is Peter and he's my son." Harry pressed on, needing to justify why he hadn't revealed this to Graham before, "I didn't know that he existed for six years, and I only found out he was mine a month ago." He noticed the surprise in Graham's eyes and quickly came to Ruth's defence, not wishing to turn him against her with this information, hoping that he would understand. "She didn't want him to grow up with a father in the service. Peter had been taken as a hostage when she returned to England, and she was scared for him," he added._

_Silence fell between them for a few tense seconds while Graham digested this information. _

_It was finally broken by Graham who said, "I have a brother? Can I meet him?"_

_"With pleasure," Harry replied, letting go of the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, relieved that Graham wished to do so. "I could take you home with me now if you have time," he added._

_"I'd like that," Graham smiled._

* * *

><p><em>"I'm proud of you, Graham," he said to his son as they drove home. "You've really turned your life around."<em>

_"Thanks, Dad," he replied with a smile. "What's Peter like?"_

_"He's warm and open," Harry said. "A lot like you used to be when you were little. He reminds me of you sometimes. He loves to be outside. We're building a tree house in the garden, and I was going to invite you to join us if you like."_

_"Sounds like fun," Graham replied. "I'd love to, but at the moment work's busy. I'll see what I can do."_

_"How's your mum?" Harry asked presently._

_"She's fine," Graham replied. "You should ring her. She got married to Henry last month and they just got back from their honeymoon. She's happy. She retired last year and they moved to Cornwall. Henry's a writer so he can work from anywhere."_

_Harry smiled, pleased that Jane was happy, but couldn't resist saying, "Henry eh? I would have thought his name would have disqualified him for the role of husband instantly."_

_Graham laughed and replied, "I understand that he hates being called Harry, so I think that must have been a huge point in his favour."_

"_That and the fact that he's an intellectual, no doubt," Harry chuckled. "How's your sister?"_

_"She's fine too," Graham replied. "She's off doing one of her documentaries right now. She's in Egypt at the moment. We expect her back in a few weeks."_

_"Right," Harry replied, feeling a familiar uneasiness on hearing Catherine's choice of location for her film. After a pause he added, "We'll be there soon."_

* * *

><p>Ruth was in the kitchen making tea when she heard the front door open. Peter had been preparing some graphite shavings using a pencil and a sharpener and was explaining to Ruth how they can be used for dusting fingerprints off the furniture. As soon as he heard voices in the hall, he jumped up and moved toward the kitchen door. Before he got there, Harry walked into the kitchen closely followed by a tall young man with intelligent, grey eyes. Ruth stepped forward and Harry introduced her to Graham.<p>

"Hello," Ruth said, shacking his hand. "Welcome, Graham. I'm very pleased to meet you."

"Thank you," Graham replied, somewhat timidly. "I'm glad to meet you too."

"Hi," Peter cut in at that point. "I'm Peter."

"Hi, Peter," Graham said, shaking his hand and giving him a wide grin. "I hear you'll soon be the lucky owner of a tree house."

"Yes," Peter declared enthusiastically. "Do you want to see where it's going to go?"

"In a minute, Peter," Harry interrupted, wishing to give Graham the chance to refuse if he wished.

"That's okay," Graham said with a wink. "I'd love to see the location of the tree house."

Peter beamed up at his older brother, and taking his hand, pulled him toward the back door. Graham looked over his shoulder at Ruth and Harry, and grinned.

"His smile is just like yours," Ruth told Harry as soon as they were alone. "It's enough to melt your heart."

"Just by doing this?" Harry asked, smiling broadly at her and wrapping his arms around her.

"You have no idea," Ruth sighed and rested her head against his shoulder.

A knock at the front door, a few moments later, interrupted their cuddle.

"It'll be Malcolm," Ruth said. "I'll get the door and you make tea."

A few moments later, Ruth reappeared in the kitchen followed by Malcolm. Harry turned to shake his hand and bid him good afternoon, and they all sat down at the table to have tea and were presently joined by Graham and Peter.

"It's good to see you again, Graham," Malcolm said as he shook his hand.

"Sorry, Malcolm, I don't remember meeting you," Graham said, looking apologetic.

"You wouldn't," Malcolm conceded. "You were only five at the time."

"Have you known Dad that long?" Graham said surprised. "You must have worked together then."

Malcolm merely smiled, but Peter exclaimed, "Were you a spy too, Uncle Malcolm?"

There was a stunned silence round the table for a moment. Graham recovered first and said to Peter, "Wow! You know about Dad's job? He must really trust you not to blab about it. I never knew what Dad did until I was eleven."

Peter seemed pleased about this bit of news and whispered conspiratorially, "I'm very good at keeping secrets. Are you a spy too?"

"No," Graham laughed. "I'm a gardener. I don't think I'd make a very good spy."

"Oh, I think you would," Ruth told him, her eyes twinkling. "You're certainly smart enough and could probably charm the birds out of the trees."

Graham looked at her gratefully and said, "But I'm not ready to make the sacrifices that go with it."

"I often think that very few of us are ready when we first join," Malcolm said thoughtfully.

"Would I make a good spy?" Peter asked eagerly.

No one spoke at first, but then Graham said lightly, "You might. We need people to be spies to protect our country, but it's very hard for them. Look at Dad, for example. He didn't get to spend much time with the people he loved most, and we all missed not having him around."

It was Ruth's turn to give Graham a grateful look. She glanced at Harry, and noticing that his eyes had misted over, she extended her hand and squeezed his knee lightly. He turned to look at her and their gazes locked together, and for a moment, they entered their own little private world.

"That's true," Peter said thoughtfully.

"Don't worry," Graham continued, addressing Peter. "You'll find what you love to do by the time you're grown up." Then noticing the look that passed between Harry and Ruth, he changed the subject by saying, "I bet I could borrow a machine from work to dig a couple of holes in the ground for those supports you need to put in, Dad."

"Could you?" Harry asked turning to look at him. "That would be great."

"If we have a machine perhaps we could put in that fireman's pole Peter has been asking for too," Malcolm added.

"Could we?" Peter asked eagerly.

"I don't see why not," Graham replied.

They proceeded to discuss the details of the tree house building, and it was settled that the following day they would set up the supports they needed, attach the platform they'd already build to them, and anchor it to the tree. Malcolm left shortly after the plan had been ironed out with a promise that he would return tomorrow morning with his mother. Ruth invited Graham to stay to supper and he readily agreed.

* * *

><p><em>They sat down to eat and talked about various topics from gardening to current events with a little information on pirates and garden animals thrown in to please Peter. Harry was pleased to see that Graham fit in so well in his new family. He could see that Ruth really liked him, and he felt almost certain that the feeling was mutual. <em>

_"Are you free on Saturday, Graham?" Harry asked presently when there was a lull in the conversation._

_"What time?" Graham inquired._

_"Around two o'clock," Harry said._

_"Yes," Graham replied, "I think I'm free. I'm meeting Alex on Saturday, but I don't know what time yet. I could arrange to meet her later though. Why?"_

_"Who's Alex?" Harry asked, momentarily distracted from what he was going to say._

_"She's my girlfriend," Graham blushed._

_"Oh," Harry said. "Well bring her along too. We'd love to meet her." Then he added, "That's if you want to."_

_Graham looked a little bewildered and Ruth chuckled as she said, "Harry, you haven't even invited Graham yet!" Then turning to Graham she added, "What Harry is trying to say is that we're getting married on Saturday at two and would really love it if you would attend. And we would be happy to welcome any other companions you might want to bring along with you."_

_"Married?" Graham said, surprised by the news. "Congratulations!" _

_Graham beamed at them both and Harry felt his throat constrict. Harry Pearce, you really are a lucky bastard to have all these wonderful people in your family who are ready to forgive you everything and just be happy for you, he thought. Graham got up from the table and approached him offering him his hand. Harry got up, and taking his hand, he pulled him into a hug. "You make your old man very happy, Son," he said somewhat huskily, and clearing his throat, he added, "I love you, Graham."_

_"I love you too, Dad," Graham said in an equally husky voice. Then releasing his father he walked round the table to Ruth, who gave him a very affectionate hug. _

_"Congratulations, Ruth," he said._

_"Thank you, Graham," she smiled. "You'll always be welcome in our home."_

_"Thank you," Graham replied. "It means a lot."_

_"So will you come?" Peter asked his brother._

_"Oh, yes," Graham replied, laughing as he realized that he hadn't given his answer yet, and everyone joined in._

* * *

><p>Later in the evening, after Peter had gone to bed and Harry had left to drive Graham home, Ruth sat outside with a cup of tea and looked up at the stars. It was chilly, but the sky was cloudless and she could see the stars clearly. She sighed as she remembered the nights in Polis that she'd spent looking up at the stars, wondering if Harry was on the rooftop of Themes House doing the same. Those nights had been so lonely. She had felt much closer to him and yet so far away.<p>

"You wouldn't believe where he lives," Harry cut into her thoughts as he walked outside completely oblivious to her mood and focused entirely on his concern. "He lives in a tiny flat in the most dodge neighbourhood that you can imagine," he added when she didn't respond.

"Oh dear," Ruth sighed. "You should offer him your house," she added, "but you need to be careful how you do it."

"I already did and he turned me down," Harry said mournfully taking a few steps away from the table and gazing out into the garden.

"Tell me what you said," Ruth sighed.

"Well, I told him that it isn't safe for him to live there and he can live in my house since I don't need it any more," Harry replied.

"Are those the exact words you used?" Ruth inquired, a smile tugging at her lips. She knew well how undiplomatic and dictatorial Harry could get when he was concerned about a loved one's safety.

"Pretty much," Harry said with a frown. "I might have been a little more forceful and told him not to be stupid when he turned me down." Harry sighed. "I know I said the wrong thing, but I just wanted to help him."

"I know," Ruth got up and embraced him. "At least, you didn't call him a stubborn, old mule." Harry smiled at that and she added, "Don't worry. We'll sort it out in the morning."

Harry sighed and pulled her close. "You're freezing," he said. "Let's go inside."

They went in, locked up, went upstairs, and got ready for bed. When Ruth came into the bedroom, Harry was already under the covers. She got in and cuddled up close to him, and he slid his arm around her so she could rest her head on his shoulder.

"This is lovely," Ruth whispered contentedly after a few minutes. "Even just cuddling you is amazing."

Harry smiled and they both slowly drifted off to sleep.


	13. Friday

_**Friday**_

Ruth woke suddenly. She was disoriented and it took her a few seconds to figure out what had disrupted her sleep.

"No!" Harry exclaimed again as a he broke into a cold sweat and started to tremble all over. He wrapped his arms tightly around his chest, his breathing shallow. "Don't hurt them. Take me instead," he pleaded.

"Harry," Ruth said rubbing his back. "Wake up."

"Don't you dare hurt them," Harry growled, his voice getting angrier as he began to struggle with the sheet that was wrapped around him.

"Harry," Ruth said a little louder now and shook him gently.

"Ruth. No!" Harry cried out, reaching out his hand toward the wall, before he let it fall limb by his side and tears started to role down his cheeks as he began to sob.

"Harry," Ruth said sharply as she slid her hands across his bare arms, neck, and face in an effort to rouse him. "Shhhh... It's okay. It's just a bad dream. Wake up, my love."

Slowly Harry came round and opened his eyes. "Ruth?" he said in disbelief.

"Yes," Ruth smiled. "I'm here. It was a dream. Just a bad dream."

"Oh, God," Harry exhaled. "It was terrible. You were... you were..." He swallowed hard and shook his head as he sat up, pulling his knees up, hugging them to his chest and bending his head down to rest his forehead on his knees.

"Mum?" came a small voice from the doorway.

Ruth reached over and switched on the bedside lamp. "It's okay, Love," she said as she got out of bed and went over to Peter. "Dad had a bad dream. That's all. I'll take you back to bed."

Peter nodded sleepily and let his mother lead him back to his room. He climbed into bed and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Ruth bent down and kissed his hair before returning to her room.

* * *

><p><em>Harry held his head in his hands and tried to recover. The nightmares felt so real. He'd been having them for years now, but since the Albany fiasco they'd become more frequent and they plagued him almost every night. They were always about death. Someone always died. Sometimes is was Adam or Lucas, sometimes Ros or Jo. But even since the day when he'd almost lost her, it had been Ruth every time. Tonight she'd been shot. And the worst part were her eyes. That was the part that always really shook him up; the vacant look in her eyes. He shuddered and fought for self-control. <em>

_He heard her come back in the room and looked up at her. _

_"Are you okay?" she asked gently, concern etched in her features._

_"Yes," he croaked. "Peter?" he questioned._

_"Asleep," Ruth replied as she got into bed and rubbed his back with her hand._

_"I..." Harry began and stopped. He cleared his throat and continued, "I'm sorry I woke you," he said._

_"Don't be silly," she admonished. "Would you like to talk about it?" she added._

_Harry was silent for a few moments before he said, "No."_

_"Okay," Ruth replied with a reassuring smile. "I'm here if you change your mind. Just let me know."_

_Harry nodded and lay back down on the bed. He covered his eyes with his hand for a moment, but the images were still there when he closed them. He sat bolt upright in bed again, breathing hard and willing himself to regain control._

_He felt Ruth's hands slide up to his shoulders and begin to massage them gently._

_"It's okay," she whispered in his ear as she moved to sit behind him so that she could work more comfortably. "It's okay, Harry," she repeated gently._

_Harry took deep breaths and felt himself slowly relax. "That's good," he murmured._

_Ruth worked for a few minutes on his shoulders and then whispered in his ear, "Take your t-shirt off and lie down."_

_She got out of bed and he obeyed her, lying on his stomach._

* * *

><p>Ruth went to her dressing table and found a bottle of massage oil that she kept there. She returned to the bed and noticed that although the panic was gone from his face, Harry was still tense and held his eyes wide open as if he was afraid to close them. She got back in bed and began to work the oil into his tense muscles, starting with his shoulders and working her way down his back. Slowly she felt him relax and after a few minutes he began to groan with pleasure at her touch. She happily noticed that his eyes had drifted closed. She finished working on his legs and feet before making sure the covers were tucked in around him, turning off the light and snuggling down next to him.<p>

"Thank you," he murmured, and a little while later, he was asleep.

Ruth stayed awake a little while longer, wondering what Harry had been dreaming about. She had nightmares herself from time to time. She supposed that every spook did. Ruth sighed and glanced at the clock. It was three in the morning. Snuggling closer to Harry she closed her eyes and finally fell asleep.

* * *

><p><em>Harry woke up early on Friday morning. He hadn't slept well. Even before he'd experienced the nightmare, he hadn't been able to get much rest. His mind had been dwelling on his argument with Graham. He looked at Ruth as she slept quietly next to him. She'd really helped him relax last night. In fact, he realized that this had been the first night with her that he hadn't had a good night's sleep. Three nights in a row of restful sleep must be some kind of a record for him. Harry knew that any kind of stress that he experienced manifested itself in nightmares. He could control his feelings during the day, but at night they seemed to come back with a vengeance. <em>

_He immediately realized that his bad night's sleep had been due to his argument with Graham. He'd always had this kind of trouble with his children. They always overreacted when he tried to help them. Things had been going so well for a change and then he'd had to go and put his foot in it. He should have kept his mouth shut and discussed it with Graham in the morning. Frustrated he ran his hands over his face._

_"Are you okay?" Ruth asked sleepily._

_"Yes," he replied. "I'm sorry I woke you."_

_"It's okay," Ruth said and kissed his cheek._

_"I know I said the wrong thing yesterday," Harry began. "To Graham," he added seeing Ruth's puzzled look._

_"Oh," she said._

_"I have never been able to communicate effectively with my children, Ruth," Harry sighed._

_"That's not true," Ruth replied. "You were doing great with Graham yesterday, and I don't believe that you have had any trouble with Peter yet."_

_"Okay," Harry conceded, "perhaps I was exaggerating a little."_

_"I think that you run into trouble when you disagree with your children," Ruth smiled. Harry said nothing and Ruth continued, "When we disagree, I find that you tend to go into 'Head of MI-5' mode and try to force me to cooperate because you are my 'boss'. I expect you do the same with them. Perhaps you could try harder to convince them and not attempt to intimidate them into cooperation?"_

_Harry did not like what he was hearing. Did he really boss people around? He tried to recall what he'd said to Graham and found that though he hadn't intended to be commanding, he could understand how Graham might have perceived it in that way._

* * *

><p>Ruth could see that Harry was thinking about what she'd said. She'd been dealing with Harry for years and she knew that it was best if she didn't voice any more of her thoughts right now. He would ask her for her advice when he was ready. So she got up and went to the bathroom.<p>

When she got back, Harry said, "You're right. I was a little high-handed with Graham yesterday. I'll talk to him again today when he comes round."

"Good," Ruth smiled and sat on the bed next to him.

"Thank you," Harry said and pushed a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

"What for?" Ruth asked.

"Helping me with Graham, helping me last night," he replied as he cupped her face with his hand, "for everything really."

"It's my pleasure," Ruth replied. "I like to help you. I love you, Harry."

"I love you too, Ruth," Harry replied and lent in to kiss her lips.

Moments later Harry had pulled Ruth down onto the bed next to him and was kissing her as if there was no tomorrow. Ruth felt the heat rise up through her and she pulled Harry closer as their kisses became more and more passionate.

* * *

><p>Some time later, Ruth and Harry were lying in each other's arms tucked in under the covers, both completely satisfied.<p>

"Ruth," he said looking a little embarrassed, "I know that it is a bit late to ask, and I can't think why I didn't before, but," he hesitated, "well... have you... I mean is there any chance..."

Harry paused as if unable to find the words, and Ruth tilted her head up to look at him and smiled. "Just say it, Harry," she encouraged him.

Harry took a deep breath and said very rapidly, "Have you been using any form of contraception?"

"Oh," Ruth smiled. "Don't worry, Harry. It can't happen any more. It's been fifteen months since my last period."

"Well," Harry said, his expression changing from surprise to relief and finally to looking unsure, in quick succession. "That's good," he said finally.

"What made you think of that _now_?" Ruth asked with interest.

"I don't know," Harry replied. "I've thought of it before, but it never seemed like the right time to ask, and I assumed that, after Peter, you'd be doing something..." He trailed off.

"Yes," Ruth reassured him. "You're right. I would have been very careful. I'm rather enjoying not having to be careful any more," she smiled and kissed his shoulder.

"Perhaps," Harry smiled as he shifted to face her, "I'll enjoy it more too, now that I know there's nothing to worry about."

Then he brought his lips to hers and gave here a long, tender kiss. Ruth sighed contentedly when he released her lips and cuddled closer to him.

* * *

><p><em>"Mum?" Peter said and knocked on the door gently.<em>

_"Just a second," Harry called out and began to move away from Ruth._

_"Where are you going?" Ruth asked tightening her arms around him._

_"I was going to get up," Harry replied. "Peter's up."_

_"Come in, Peter," Ruth called out and continued to hold Harry close to her._

_Peter walked into their room and up to their bed. He paused and looked at his parents lying in each other's arms. Harry was a little uncomfortable under his son's gaze. He'd never found it easy to show affection in public, and with his first two children both he and Jane had avoided intimate moments in front of them. Ruth seemed to be perfectly at ease, however, and judging by Peter's grin he was also very comfortable. In fact, Peter climbed onto the bed and began making is way up the middle of the bed. Then he flung himself on top of them and gave them both a hug._

_"Oi," Ruth complained. "You're too heavy to be doing that kind of stunt any more."_

_Peter laughed and climbed over Harry to get off the bed._

_"I'm going to get breakfast," he said and left the room._

_"Please put the kettle on," Ruth called after him. "Do you think he heard me?" she asked, turning to Harry._

_"Any more?" Harry asked._

_"Excuse me?" Ruth said with a puzzled frown._

_"You said he was too heavy to do that kind of stunt _any more_," Harry replied._

_"He's always loved climbing into bed with me in the morning, and he used to climb on top of me and Ge..." Ruth trailed off and looked a little embarrassed._

_"George?" Harry finished for her._

_"Yes," Ruth said, blushing._

_Harry was quiet for a moment. He was jealous of course. Jealous that his Ruth had been lying in bed with another man, and that his son had loved that man as a father. Without a word, he got up and walked into the bathroom._

* * *

><p>Ruth was worried as she watched him walk silently away. It had been thoughtless of her to bring it up, and yet she refused to be walking on egg shells around him. "Still," she scolded herself, "You could have waited at least until a month after you were married to bring that up, Ruth." Sighing, Ruth got up and deciding that it was safer to give Harry some space and skip her morning shower, she got dressed. Then she went downstairs to get started on making breakfast. Peter was already done with his and had gone outside. It was still early and Ruth assumed that Graham would be here soon as he was bringing the digger today. She made a pot of coffee and some scrambled eggs and toast.<p>

* * *

><p><em>A few moments later, Harry walked into the kitchen. Ruth turned to face him with a cup of coffee in her hand. He noticed that she looked worried. She was hiding it well, but she had a few tells that he'd got good at reading over the years. He walked up to her, took the cup from her hands and placed it on the counter. Then he pulled her toward him.<em>

_"I'm sorry," he said and he felt her relax in his arms. "I felt jealous for a moment back there. I can't help it when I think about you with someone else, whether it's George, John Fortescue, or Andrew Forrestal."_

_"Andrew Forrestal?" Ruth said incredulously, pulling away to look at him._

_"Yes, well," Harry replied defensively, "you were very please to see him."_

_Ruth smiled. "Seriously, Harry," she said turning away from him and pouring another cup of coffee. "You have nothing to worry about. I've been round the block a very small number of times, so to speak... unlike you," she couldn't resist adding._

_Harry grinned and accepted the coffee she offered him. "I was looking for you," he said._

_"Next time, you should try using your heart as a guide instead of your..." She trailed off as she glanced down at his groin with a suggestive nod of her head._

_Harry burst out laughing, and putting down his coffee, he pulled her into his arms. "You are priceless, Ruth," he chuckled. "You make me feel young again." Then he added in a more serious voice, "Anyway, there won't be a next time now that I have you, Ruth."_

_"Well, to use a favourite expression of yours," Ruth replied, "that's good."_

* * *

><p>Graham arrived just after they'd finished their breakfast with one of his colleagues and a small digger, and they set about using the digger, inserting the supports, and stabilizing the tree house structure right away. Malcolm joined them presently, and Ruth spent the morning doing some sewing and talking to Malcolm's mother, Myrtle.<p>

Halfway through the morning, Myrtle wished to watch her favourite TV program, so Ruth set it up for her and excused herself to go and make lunch. She made a pitcher of lemonade first and took it outside for the "Bob the Builders". Then she started work on the chicken she was preparing for lunch.

A little while later Graham brought in the empty jug.

"Could we have a little more lemonade, please?" he asked sweetly.

"Of course," Ruth replied. She got some more lemons out and started washing, cutting, and squeezing them. "How's the work coming along?" she asked.

"We're doing really well. I think we'll be done by lunchtime at this rate," Graham replied.

"Would you and Dave like to stay for lunch?" Ruth offered.

"Thanks," Graham replied, "but we need to get the digger back, and I have to get back to work this afternoon."

"I'll make you some sandwiches with the chicken then," Ruth said.

"There's no need, Ruth," Graham objected.

Ruth turned to look at him. He looked somewhat uncomfortable and reserved today, and she had a pretty good idea why that was.

"Listen, Graham," she began, "I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I feel I have to say something. I've know your father for more than a decade now, and I know that he can be infuriating at times, especially when he thinks he knows what's best for you. He means well, but I can imagine that it's especially difficult for you to deal with. You want to have his respect and love, and maintain your independence. Then just as you feel that you finally have those things, he tries to swoop in and rescue you, making you doubt that you ever had them in the first place, or ever will. Am I right?"

Graham looked at her in surprise but nodded his ascent.

"I know your father, Graham," Ruth continued. "You do have those things. He's very proud of you and really respects you and loves you. He just wishes to help you because he cares and worries about you and Catherine, and also because he wants to make up for all the times that he wasn't there for you. Unfortunately, he has no idea how to express it in a diplomatic way. You yourself can't be happy with the location of your flat, but I doubt that you wish to move into a big house like your dad's either."

Graham again nodded.

"Would you let me help you find a better place to live?" Ruth offered. "I am really good at that kind of thing, and I bet you have little time to devote to it yourself. What do you say?"

"I can't ask you to do that," Graham objected.

"I want to do that," Ruth replied. "I like you, Graham, and I really love your father. I would be happy to do that for both of you. Besides it would be something interesting for me to do so I don't suffer from boredom until I go back to work."

Her eyes twinkled as she said that and Graham visibly relaxed.

"Thank you," Graham smiled, "That would be great."

"Okay," Ruth smiled back, "So send me an email with what you're looking for, and I'll find you a bargain. Now," she added, "I'll make you some sandwiches for lunch."

"Thanks," Graham said, and coming up to her, he kissed her cheek. "I'll tell Dad," he added and went out into the garden with the lemonade in a much better mood than when he'd come in.

* * *

><p><em>Graham and Dave left just before lunch with a bunch of delicious sandwiches from Ruth for which they were very grateful. Then everyone else sat down to lunch. The tree house was almost complete. Harry wanted to add a few things to the inside of the tree house and then paint it, and Peter really wanted a rope ladder. Ruth had been secretly sewing some cushion covers for some floor cushions, and Malcolm was fixing up and painting an old wash stand and a couple of stools to add to the house. <em>

_After lunch, Malcolm and Myrtle took their leave, and as soon as they were alone again, Harry embraced Ruth and whispered in her ear, "Thank you." _

_"I'm glad I could help you both," Ruth replied, immediately understanding what Harry was referring to._

_It was so good to have someone he knew he could always count on. It had always been like that with Ruth. It was one of the reasons that he loved her so much. "I'd better finish up outside," he said._

_"And I'd better finish up with our wedding," Ruth replied._

_He gave her a kiss before releasing her and taking Peter back outside to work on their tree house. Ruth smiled as she set about arranged some last minute things for their wedding. Later, she joined Harry and Peter outside for tea and a tour of the tree house. _

_It really was something. Harry and Malcolm had designed it very well indeed. It felt like a real tree house, despite the fact that the tree it was in was really too young and could not be used to support it. The tree house platform was rectangular. One end of it had a small house on it and the other railings round it so that it looked like the house had a porch in front of it. This porch had a round hole in it at one end through which Peter could slide down the fireman's pole. They were also planning on attaching a rope ladder that Peter could lower to the ground. Ruth helped Harry and Peter with a few final touches to the tree house and then they had their dinner. The only thing that remained to be done at the end of the day was the painting. Harry was planning to do it in the morning._

_After Peter was in bed that evening, Harry checked his email and discovered a message from Catherine. _

_"She's coming home tomorrow!" Harry exclaimed._

_"Who is?" Ruth asked looking up from her computer, where she'd been house hunting for Graham._

_"Catherine," Harry said. "She doesn't say what time though. I wonder if Graham knows. I'll give him a ring."_

_"Good idea," Ruth replied._

* * *

><p>Harry left the room to make the call. He wasn't gone long before he returned with more information. Catherine was arriving early in the morning the following day and Graham was going to the airport to meet her.<p>

"He doesn't think that it is a good idea if I go with him," Harry said, sounding a little hurt.

"Oh?" Ruth said. "Did he say why?"

"He said something about not wanting to break Catherine's confidence, which I didn't understand," Harry said with a frown. "He refused to explain when I asked him what he meant. He just insisted that it was not a good idea," Harry added.

"It sounds as if she has a secret that he doesn't want to reveal without her permission," Ruth replied.

"But what secret would be revealed to me just by meeting her at the airport?" Harry asked. "It doesn't make sense. Anyway, I asked Graham to invite her to our wedding for me. I expect he will do a better job at revealing all the details to her than I will. They've always been very close."

"Good," Ruth replied. "I hope she comes. Perhaps you should try calling Graham tomorrow and ask to speak to her. Will she be staying with him?"

"I don't know," Harry said, "but it's a good idea. I'll try."

"Would you like some tea?" Ruth asked, after a pause in the conversation.

"Yes, please," he replied. "But don't get up; I'll make it," he added and went to the kitchen.

Ruth thought about what Harry had said and suddenly was struck by an idea that would explain Graham's strange behaviour. She picked up her mobile phone and dialled Graham's number.

"Hello," she heard him say.

"Hi, Graham," Ruth replied. "It's Ruth."

"Hello, Ruth," he said cheerfully. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes," she said. "And no," she added. "Your father is a little worried about Catherine."

"Oh," Graham replied with a sigh. "I know he wanted to come with me to get her, but I honestly can't do that. She didn't give me permission and I can't call her as she's on the plane already."

"I understand," Ruth reassured him, "Is she coming alone?"

"Yes," Graham confirmed.

"It's just that I got the impression that she has some kind of secret," Ruth continued, "and I wanted to know: Is she pregnant Graham?"

There was a stunned silence at the other end of the phone. "How did you know?" Graham asked in an awed voice.

"I assumed that it would be the kind of secret that is revealed by just seeing someone, and since she's coming alone, I assumed it was not a boyfriend and I came to the conclusion that it was a baby."

Graham whistled, "I can see why Dad fell in love with you," he said.

"Thanks," Ruth smiled, "I would really like her to come to our wedding tomorrow, Graham. Would you tell her that please, when you've had a chance to catch up and explain things? She doesn't need to worry about Harry's reaction. I'll prepare him for the possibility without confirming it. Do you think that's all right?"

"I think she'd appreciate it to be honest," Graham grinned.

"When's it due?" Ruth couldn't resist asking.

"In a couple of months," Graham said.

"Wow!" Ruth exclaimed. "So soon. I think it's great news. Your mum must be thrilled."

"She is," Graham replied. "She's also relieved that Catherine's finished her filming and is on her way home. Mum's coming in tomorrow to visit."

"Well," Ruth said thoughtfully, "perhaps I'll meet her. I'd like that. Who's the baby's father?"

"Some bloke who's no longer in the picture," Graham said sadly. "Doesn't want to be either. I think that's the part Catherine's really scared about revealing to Dad. I think she's afraid he'll go after him or something."

"I'm not surprised," Ruth laughed. "Tell her I'll restrain him."

"She'll love you for ever if you manage that," Graham chuckled.

"Well," Ruth said after a pause, "I'll wish you goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ruth," Graham replied. "See you tomorrow."

"Yes," Ruth agreed and the line went dead.

She took a few moments to get her thoughts together and then got up and followed Harry into the kitchen.

* * *

><p><em>She walked up to Harry who was just pouring out the tea.<em>

_"Thanks," she said, accepting the mug he offered her. "I have a theory," she added._

_"A theory about what?" Harry replied as he picked up his own mug and took it to the kitchen table._

_"Why Graham seems to think that letting you come to the airport would give away Catherine's secret," Ruth replied as she sat down._

_"So what is it?" Harry asked from behind a cupboard door._

_"I'll tell you when you sit down," Ruth replied._

_Harry glanced at her. She was wearing her unreadable expression again. He took it as a sign that she believed that what she had to say would upset him. That was not good. Harry came over to the table with the box of biscuits he'd been getting, and placing them on the table, he pulled a chair our and sat down._

_"I'm sitting down," he said dryly._

_"Well, I can think of only two things: either she's bringing her boyfriend with her and she thinks you won't approve of him, or she's pregnant," Ruth replied thoughtfully._

_"What?" Harry exclaimed. "She can't be," he said in a stunned whisper._

_"Can't be what?" Ruth asked. "Bringing her boyfriend or pregnant?"_

_"Both!" Harry exclaimed. "The last time she chose a guy who worked for Mossad for crying out loud." _

_"True," Ruth conceded, "but he was a good guy. Can you blame her for choosing a spook?"_

_Harry gave her a mutinous looked and shrugged. "I can if he works for another country," he said._

_"We can't help who we fall in love with, Harry," Ruth said gently. "Anyway, I might be wrong. I have been known to be wrong occasionally," she added with a smile._

_Her joke didn't make Harry smile. Was Ruth right? Was Catherine really bringing a boyfriend that she was scared he wouldn't approve of, or worse, was she pregnant? Did he really scare her so much that she didn't want to tell him something that important? Harry scowled. "What if you're right?" he asked eventually._

_"Well," Ruth said thoughtfully, "you might want to rehearse your reaction to such news, so that you don't end up in another altercation with one of your children."_

_"That isn't funny," Harry growled._

_"I wasn't trying to be funny," Ruth replied. "I'm trying to be helpful."_

_Harry gave her a sideways glance that conveyed the message that she wasn't doing very well._

_"Obviously, I am failing," Ruth sighed. "All I am trying to say is that you should follow your own advise to me from earlier this week."_

_Harry gave her a quizzical look._

_"You told me that it's a bit early to worry about Peter joining the service," Ruth explained, "and that we won't be able to change his mind anyway if he decides to join. You were right. The best we can hope for is to influence our children by teaching them good principles and staying close enough to them that they want to ask for our advise. They must learn from their own mistakes though, Harry. Catherine and Graham both have good principles. They'll be fine, and we're here for them if they run into trouble. All we have to do is make sure that we make it possible for them to come and ask for help when they need it."_

_Harry sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. He remembered when Graham had needed help and how impossible it had been for him to offer it because he'd let their relationship cool to a point where they weren't even on speaking terms. He looked up at Ruth and nodded slowly. "I'll try," he said._

* * *

><p>Ruth smiled, got up, and walking around the table, she bent over Harry, and linking her arms round his neck, she kissed his lips softly. Much to her surprise, Harry pulled her down, and she squeaked when she lost her balance. She landed in his lap and heard him chuckle. "Oi!" she exclaimed and playfully pinched his arm.<p>

"Hey," Harry said in a surprised voice.

He grabbed both her hands in his and started to nuzzle her neck, making her giggle.

"Stop," she panted between giggles. "That tickles."

She struggling free from his grasp and tried to poke his side. However, Harry was too quick for her, and getting up, he pulled her to his chest, trapping her arms as he embraced her tightly. "This is war," he growled in her ear.

She glanced up at him in alarm and saw that his eyes were sparkling with mischief, and she relaxed a little. "Let me go," she demanded.

"Say please," Harry teased.

Ruth struggled and managed to get her hand just in front of Harry's groin.

"Never," she smiled sweetly and began stroking him intimately.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. "You minx," he groaned and shut his eyes.

Ruth felt Harry harden beneath her touch, and a few seconds later, she stilled her hand and watched as Harry's eyes drifted open.

"Don't stop now," he said in a low, husky voice.

"Say please," Ruth repeated his earlier words smugly.

Harry's eyes, already dark and brimming with unspent passion, glinted dangerously. "Are you sure you want to go down that path, Miss Evershed?" he growled, tightening his grip on her.

"Err.." Ruth faltered, seeing the look in his eyes. Then smiling brightly, she said, "Harry... let go of my arms, and I will be happy to continue."

Harry released her slowly, took a step back, and watched her warily. Ruth was enjoying this game immensely. She could see that Harry had no idea what to expect from her next. He'd never seen this playful side of her before, and she could tell that it was intriguing and exciting him. Ruth took a step toward Harry and placed her hands on his chest. Slowly she lent in and captured his lips in a gently kiss, then the moment she felt him relax and place his hands on her hips, she slipped her hands down and grabbed his erection though the fabric of his trousers at same time as she grabbed his lower lip with her teeth. She heard him gasp, and felt him tense up and grab hold of her arms firmly.

* * *

><p><em>Harry was enjoying himself. He was surprised to find Ruth acting like this. In all the years he'd known her, she'd never displayed this playful, provoking, flirtatious side of her character. It was surprising, intriguing, and was really turning him on. He pushed her backward toward the kitchen table. He glanced at it and noticed that it was almost empty, so steering Ruth toward the empty part, he pushed her against it, pinning her there with his thighs as he traced kisses along her neck and slid his hands under her shirt. He heard her groan and felt her pulling at his belt as she attempted to unfasten it. He chuckled at her impatience and hitched up her skirt before sliding the fingers of his right hand under her knickers and along her delicate folds. <em>

_"Harry," she moaned in his ear._

_"God, you're so wet, Ruth," he murmured as he caressed her intimately._

_"How do you do this?" Ruth panted. "You make be yearn for you with every fibre of my being."_

_"I'm all yours, Ruth," he whispered in her ear. "All yours."_

_Harry's trousers slid to the floor and he lifted Ruth onto the table. She lent back and wrapped her legs around his waist, looking at him intensely, her eyes dark and aroused as she said, "Fuck me, Harry."_

_He couldn't believe his ears. Did she really just say that? He'd never seen her like this before. So confident, demanding, bold; there was not a hint of her usual shyness about her now. He watched her hungrily as she lifted her knees toward her chest, her feet spread to the sides as she opened herself completely to him. "Now, Harry," she whispered. _

_He lowered his eyes to her core, and groaned aloud as the desire surging through him reached its peak and he felt his erection throb impatiently. He pushed her legs open further with his hands as he pressed himself against her opening, and moments later, Ruth cried out as he entered her hard and fast. "Yes!" she exclaimed and arched her back, "Oh, yes! Harder."_

_Harry lent over her, supporting his weight on his arms as he placed his hands on either side of her chest, and she ran her hands along his chest and through his hair. "Faster," she gasped and he obliged, enjoying the feel of her all around him, engulfing him, consuming him. They didn't break eye contact as he moved inside her, quickly, deeply, hungrily, murmuring words of lust and love. He brought her to completion quickly and powerfully, and he watched her in awe as she tumbled over the edge, crying out his name as she did so. Her eyes drifted closed and he slowed his rhythm down, giving her a change to recover._

* * *

><p>A few moment later, Ruth opened her eyes. Harry was watching her with a look of extreme satisfaction on his face and hunger in his eyes. She began to move her hips with him and felt him change pace again, building them up once more, and soon she could see him strain to hold back his orgasm, so that she could come again. She didn't want that this time; she wanted to watch him as he reached his climax. Slowly, she slid her hands down his chest, and twisting a little to her right, she slid her hand between them and gently cupped his scrotum.<p>

"Oh, God," Harry gasped and she felt him plunge deep inside her as he came. "Ruth!" he cried out.

Ruth watched him screw up his eyes and contract his facial muscles in a beautiful grimace of ecstasy. Then he hung his head down over her chest, his hair brushing lightly against her skin and his chest heaving as he inhaled deeply and rapidly.

"Dear God, Ruth," Harry murmured, "You almost killed me tonight."

Ruth chuckled and reaching round his chest she pulled him down on top of her. She was hugging him with her arms and legs now as he lay over her, his head resting on her chest. They lay quietly like this while their breathing returned to normal. He supported some of his weight on his forearms, but Ruth still felt a little squashed against the hard table. She shivered.

"Are you cold?" Harry asked and lifted himself up to look at her.

"A little," Ruth admitted. "The table isn't the warmest place to lie, despite the fact that you make a very warm blanket."

"Let's go to bed," Harry said and pushed himself up with his hands.

"Wait," Ruth stopped him and raising her head she kissed his lips. Then she squeezed her pelvic floor muscles around him and said, "Thank you."

Harry smiled and did the same before pushing himself up to a standing position. Ruth felt him slide out of her and let him help her up off the table and embrace her.

"Thank _you_," Harry whispered in her hair as he held her in his arms. "Tell me. Are there any more sides of Ruth Evershed that I should be aware of?" he teased as he looked down at her. "I knew you were a spook, but I didn't expect you to be keeping that kind of a secret from me."

"Regretting it took you so long to find out, are you?" Ruth replied with a grin. "You'll just have to wait and see what you discover, won't you? After all, we wouldn't want our married life to become dull now, would we?"

"Dull?" Harry chuckled. "I think that after less than a week of living with you, I can safely say, that I will not be dying of boredom any time soon."

They made their way upstairs slowly, discarded their remaining clothes, and collapsed into bed, where they fell asleep quickly and easily.


End file.
